| | | The future is history.
Features: Keep Case, Collector's Edition, English/Spanish/French Subtitled, Dolby Digital (5.1) Surround Sound, DVD
A lone time traveler from the year 2035 must solve a riddle that may save his people...but it may also take him to the brink of madness. Bruce Willis, Madeline Stowe and Brad Pitt star in this brilliant sci-fi masterpiece from Terry Gilliam, the acclaimed director of The Fisher King. After the world's population is devastated by a killer virus, survivors must live in dank underground communities. Cole (Willis) "volunteers" to travel into the past to obtain a pure virus sample, thereby helping researchers develop a cure. Along the way he crosses paths with a beautiful psychiatrist (Stowe) and a one-card-short-of-a-full-deck mental patient (Pitt). But the race is on, as Cole searches for The Army of the 12 Monkeys, a radical group linked to the deadly disease. With unforgettable performances and imaginative special effects, 12 Monkeys is a modern-day classic laced with Gilliam's trademark wit and dazzling visual style.
"One of the year's very best films!" CBS News
Editor's Note
When a man enters a hospital claiming to have journeyed back in time from the year 2025 to stop a killer virus from exterminating mankind, a beautiful psychologist decides he might be more than delusional. Terry Gilliam populates this labyrinthine, apocalyptic film with twisted characters and eerie revelations. The film was shot primarily in Philadelphia; Gilliam uses the more dilapidated area of the city to the film's apocalyptic advantage. The film is based on the 1962 French short film LA JETEE.
Plot Summary
In this intriguing science fiction film from director Terry Gilliam, penal colony prisoner James Cole must travel back in time from the year 2035 to find the cause of a virus that killed five billion people in 1997.| Cole's trip into the past won't be easy. For starters, he winds up in the wrong year on his first attempt. Once, as he time-travels, Cole ends up a prisoner in an insane asylum in 1990. There, he meets psychiatrist Kathryn Railly and inmate Jeffrey Goines, who could hold the key to the epidemic's spread. Cole later winds up in the middle of a World War I battlefield. | After meeting James for a second time, in another year, Dr. Railly gets further involved in his quest. Although she thinks at first that Cole must be crazy, Kathryn soon starts to believe him and attempts to help.| But James has already started to question his own sanity and tries to figure out if his journeys through time are real or if he's just been imagining everything.
| Features | Enhanced For 16X9 TV | | French Subtitles | | Behind-The-Scenes Featurette | | Scene Access | | Cast & Crew Bios | | Theatrical Trailer | | Production Notes | | Audio Commentary | | French 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital | | Interactive Menus | | Documentaries | | Spanish Subtitles | | English 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Universal |
| Release Date: 9/2/2003 |
| Running Time: 130 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1995 | | Catalog ID: 20186 | | UPC: 00025192018626 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: French, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1996) | | | Brad Pitt, Nominee, Best Supporting Actor | |
Golden Globe (1996) |  | Brad Pitt, Winner, Best Supporting Actor |
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| | Professional Reviews | Premiere
"...Plenty of surrealistic fluorish..." 12/01/1995 p.36Rolling Stone
"...Pitt is terrific....Solving the riddle of 12 MONKEYS is an exhilarating challenge..." 01/29/1996 p.64-66 USA Today
"...A Hitchcockian chase...A crowd-pleasing airport-pursuit pic..." -- 3 1/2 out of 4 stars 12/27/1995 p.1D Entertainment Weekly
"...A near-fractal script,...[an] achingly battered performance [by Willis]...and its own pell-mell momentum....Emotional urgency..." -- Rating: B 07/12/1996 pp.64-5 Los Angeles Times
"...An unlikely love story combined with a visionary detective yarn....Mystifying, intriguing..." 12/27/1995 p.F1 San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
12 Monkeys is a grandiose cinematic invention, cleverly turning the present-day urban American world on its ear...[it] rattles with insightful sound and fury, and its bleak visions are hard to shake. - Peter Stack
Reel Views 7 of 10
...it is refreshing to encounter a movie with a logical, intelligent approach to the dangers of zipping through time...[it] is a maze of plot twists and turns...scripts, setting, and production design are obvious strengths. - James Berardinelli
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  5 | | Plot |  4.5 | | Acting | 4.5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 4.5 |
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1 of 1 customers found this review helpful.
5 of 5 The most underrated film of 1997 Monday, October 25, 1999
A Viewer from Denver, CO
I love this film more with each viewing. The first time I watched it, I admit, I wasn't too impressed. But some of the imagery and dialog haunted me. After watching it a second time, it hit me harder and I wept at the end. With each successive viewing I appreciate it more. Was this review helpful?  
5 of 5 One for the records Friday, October 01, 1999
Chris from Boulder
12 monkeys has an outstanding plot and a great set
of actors. The symbolism in this movie is akin to
a great novel; it will have the intellectuals scratching their brain for days. For the rest of us, some kick butt scenes and great suspence. Was this review helpful?
2 of 2 customers found this review helpful.
4 of 5 a dvd with all the bells and whistles Thursday, September 16, 1999
paulmackinnon from halifax, nova scotia, canada
For people who think that intelligent sci-fi is an oxymoron, this is the one to watch. '12 Monkeys' delivers Gilliam, Willis, and Pitt all at the top of their games. The plot is convuluted enough that multiple viewings may be required to pick everything up. Bruce, a far cry from his act in Die Hard offers up lots of great drooling...
This film must be watched on DVD to be truly appreciated. It looks/sounds beautiful. The director's commentary is actually informative, and the behind-the-scenes vignette is great. It's an expensive disc, but probably worth it. Was this review helpful?
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