Terry Gilliam has one weird mind. Has he made a movie that was, you know, normal? From what I've seen, not really.James Cole (Bruce Willis) is sent back to 1996 to gather information on the origin of a virus that wiped out 5 billion people that year. However, he gets sent to 1990, gets arrested and sent to a mental institution. There, he meets psychiatrist Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and mental patient Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt).
Geez, Pitt is CRAZY in this. I love his crazy look, which is really just his eyes bugging out. He is clearly a scene stealer in 12 Monkeys. Not bad for someone who's going through nicotine withdrawal (I'm not lying, look it up). Willis kicks some serious ass. It has the Gilliam quirkiness, but alas it also falls victim to what usually happens halfway through a Gilliam pic: the story crumples. But still, it holds up for a good chunk of time.
My Rating: ****
I love that Pitt has always been willing to take chances in the roles he plays. Most men as pretty as him only want to be the stud. I'm a huge Gilliam fan and this one doesn't disappoint.
ReplyDeleteThe more I see this film, the more I'm impressed by it. I love movies that are rich and complex, filled with different layers of reading. Good Review! Surely one of Gilliam's best!
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