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12 Monkeys

Twelve Monkeys (12 Monkeys)

1995

Terry Gilliam

Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, Christopher Plummer ...

7.4

120,289

Sci-Fi. Fantasy. Mystery 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.

	Media	Author	Review
		Abraham Riesman Vulture	"One of the most currently relevant pieces of science fiction ever committed to celluloid (...) Visually stunning and filled with fascinating — if occasionally overcooked — performances"
		Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"All of this is done very well, and the more you know about movies (especially the technical side), the more you're likely to admire it (...) As an entertainment, it appeals more to the mind than to the senses (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Janet Maslin The New York Times	"A vigorous work of dark, surprise-filled science fiction (...) The best of Mr. Gilliam's evocative nightmares about modern life, the film maker's vision has never seemed more real."
		Peter Travers Rolling Stone	"For all the fun, fright and hypnotic romance that Gilliam delivers, he digs deepest into fatalistic themes that usually scare away the crowds at the box office"
		Emanuel Levy Variety	"Gilliam’s work is long on sensibility, short on sense (...) The first reel is suspenseful and engaging, but gradually the yarn loses its grip and meanders from one context to another"
		Nick Hilditch BBC	"Terry Gilliam's most mature film to date demands rigorous analysis from the viewer (...) A complex and rewarding fantasy (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader	"It's a haunting enough tale in its own right"
		Kim Newman Empire	"Disorientating, but good performances all round. Will have you thinking for days afterwards (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"
		Kenneth Turan Los Angeles Times	"An unlikely love story combined with a visionary detective yarn, '12 Monkeys' is baffling and difficult to decipher at times, but it’s never a standard brand."
		Rita Kempley The Washington Post	"It seems that '12 Monkeys' truly reflects our time (...) Willis brings both an explosive physicality and a compelling vulnerability to the [character]"
		Niles Schwartz Slant	"A compelling and unnerving genre exercise that boasts what may be Bruce Willis’s finest performance (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"
		David Parkinson Radio Times	"It is Willis's anguished introvert who holds this gripping, hauntingly atmospheric film together (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"

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