After about 23 years I watched this movie again. Over the last view years I have enjoyed watching the series '12 monkeys' which was based on this film. I remembered that I did not enjoy this movie that much when I saw it the first time.The reason for not liking this movie has not changed. The character James Cole was a distasteful fellow and spoiled the movie from the outset, because of his psychotic behavior and the scenes in the asylum. The role of Kathryn Railly, on the other hand, saved this film for her strong performance. The twist in the film, although good sci-fi, is not that clear at the end. But it appears I am in the minority as the very positive ratings the movie got, proves otherwise.I will stick with the series '12 monkeys', which unfortunately is reaching the end soon. I find this a superior product and much more enjoyable to watch.

Whilst the literal parts of this film are slightly dated now, the information is probably more relating in today's world than ever. My favourite Bruce Willis film and whatever happened to Madeline Stowe?

Film Review: "Twelve Monkeys" (1995)Received in complete chaos of thought, stretch out into a mindscape of infinite imagination, the motion picture "Twelve Monkeys" directed Terry Gilliam released on December 8th 1995 in New York City remains to amaze with a relentless image system of apocalyptic cinematography by Roger Pratt, a lion in winter standing of building's rooftops, while humanity bound to live underground, inventing time travel to find the cause of an epidemic that stroke the entire population from the face of the Earth.The stakes could not be higher in this motion picture, where every scene strikes nerves from light to action, from drama to comedy, from zeitgeist-pulse-driving thrills to mind-bending science-fiction panoramas, feeling with main character James Cole, portrayed by Bruce Willis performing like there would not be a tomorrow with foreclosing, high-stress beats to complete resignation, presenting awe-striking range given to him by director Terry Gilliam, before making room for actor Brad Pitt as the institutionalized character of Jeffrey Goines, running through spaces of an over-populated mental institution, explaining the sick-making games in good faith to interact, to connect with the opposite human in dutch camera angles, moving, accelerating, looking out for anker to hold on; the audience completely thrown into a labyrinth of emotions, when actress Madeleine Stowe, portraying female psychiatrist Kathryn Railly with full body awareness, confronting James Cole in time zones between 1990 and 1996, where the infamous virus might have released at an airport to nowhere, raising suspense levels to heights of maximum risks for the falling into love-story of the doctor and his patient, when suddenly the director, supported by an brilliantly written high-standard script placed at releasing Universal Picture Studios through David & Janet Peoples, who took Chris Marker's still photography film "La Jetée" (1962) and elevated it to a masterful motion picture, where each every one involved get pushed to their limits, establishing, witnessing cinema as the artform, involving all other arts, which came before.When the picture closes, it can be argued about where all this interweaving imaginarium of the filmmaker comes from to deliver such an in the end pitch-perfect film of no lose ends that nevertheless was hard to grasp in terms of marketing at times of its release. I watch it today and my feeling does not betray me in conceiving "12 Monkeys" (1995) fully with the wish to meet it again in quiet, calm moments of the future to recall what it means to confront life, of being human to seek, to find, to confront one's emotions toward everlasting balance from the chaos.© 2017 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)

I am convinced that most people here who rated this movie as "masterpiece" or excellent did it so because it was directed by a member of the Monty Python, which they, like me, love. Let me tell you: this movie is not that good! In fact it is bad.It is overlong, full of overacting, the sets look amateurish, the story is very confusing and the end is completely unsatisfying.Unfortunately, I felt like I wasted two hours of my life.