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Bruce Willis plays a prisoner sent back in time to prevent a deadly virus from ravaging the planet in this darkly comedic sci-fi thriller from Terry Gilliam (The Fisher King). Institutionalized upon his arrival in 1996, Willis piques the interest of his psychologist (Madeleine Stowe) and a manic fellow inmate (Brad Pitt). He escapes, taking Stowe hostage on a road trip to investigate a virologist (Christopher Plummer) and a radical activist group called ‘The Twelve Monkeys’, both believed to play parts in the future plague. Willis begins to doubt his sanity while Stowe realizes his ravings of a coming apocalypse are true — and that Pitt’s unhinged character may be the key to unlocking the mystery and saving humanity.
12 Monkeys isn’t as stylish as Gilliam’s previous dystopian masterpiece, Brazil, but it features three great actors in a well-paced mystery. Willis and Stowe’s strange love story fuels an emotional climax. Still, it’s indisputably Brad Pitt who delivers the film’s most surprising performance as the twitching, cross-eyed, hyperactive inmate who turns out to be the son of the pivotal virologist and the leader of the 12 Monkeys activist group. Pitt earned his first Oscar nomination with this role. The screenplay’s mystery unfolds in an engrossing manner, though the ending is foreshadowed so frequently that it’s almost robbed of impact.
Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Costume Design