Fresh
While all of Gilliam's movies are worth seeing, there's a fair amount of his designer grimness here mixed in with the cabaret comedy.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Twelve Monkeys
The future is history.
1995 · 2h 9m · R
Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
Directed by
Terry Gilliam
Overview
In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.
Director and cast
- Terry Gilliam Director
- Bruce Willis as James Cole
- Madeleine Stowe as Dr. Kathryn Railly
- Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines
- Christopher Plummer as Dr. Goines
- David Morse as Dr. Peters
- Jon Seda as Jose
- Christopher Meloni as Lt. Halperin
- Joseph Melito as young Cole
- Joey Perillo as Detective Franki
- LisaGay Hamilton as Teddy
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
88%
Tomatometer
Rotten
Neither as visually compelling as Brazil nor as emotionally gripping as The Fisher King.
Variety Staff, Variety
Fresh
Gilliam gives the material a lunatic poetry of his own, but remains impervious to the requirements of narrative pacing.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fresh
Dark and somber like Blade Runner, this sci-fi is a spectacular mess, a convoluted film with too many ideas for its own good, blending (among other things) the virus thriller with the post-apocalyptic genre.
Emanuel Levy, Variety
Fresh
There's always overripe method to his madness, but in the new 12 Monkeys Mr. Gilliam's methods are uncommonly wrenching and strong.
Janet Maslin, New York Times
More films
Brazil (1985)
Comedy · Science Fiction · R
Low-level bureaucrat Sam Lowry escapes the monotony of his day-to-day life through a recurring daydream of himself as a virtuous hero saving a beautiful damsel. Investigating a case that led to the wrongful arrest and eventual death of an innocent man instead of wanted terrorist Harry Tuttle, he meets the woman from his daydream, and i...
- Runtime
- 2h 23m
- Director
- Terry Gilliam
- Cast
- Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond
IMDb
7.8
Rotten Tomatoes
98%
Metacritic
84
Blade Runner (1982)
Drama · Science Fiction · Thriller · R
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
- Runtime
- 1h 58m
- Director
- Ridley Scott
- Cast
- Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young
IMDb
8.1
Rotten Tomatoes
89%
Metacritic
84
Total Recall (1990)
Action · Adventure · Science Fiction · R
Construction worker Douglas Quaid's obsession with the planet Mars leads him to visit Recall, a company that manufactures memories. When his memory implant goes wrong, Doug can no longer be sure what is and isn't reality.
- Runtime
- 1h 53m
- Director
- Paul Verhoeven
- Cast
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone
IMDb
7.5
Rotten Tomatoes
81%
Metacritic
60
Children of Men (2006)
Action · Drama · Science Fiction · Thriller · R
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
- Runtime
- 1h 49m
- Director
- Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast
- Clive Owen, Michael Caine, Julianne Moore
IMDb
7.9
Rotten Tomatoes
92%
Metacritic
84
Primer (2004)
Drama · Science Fiction · Thriller · PG-13
A group of fledgling inventors discover a complex method to manipulate reality. At first, they successfully game the stock market with it, but the consequences of the invention start to catch up with them.
- Runtime
- 1h 17m
- Director
- Shane Carruth
- Cast
- David Sullivan, Casey Gooden, Anand Upadhyaya
IMDb
6.7
Rotten Tomatoes
72%
Metacritic
68
Comments
Talk about the film with other members