story about the possibility of a post apocalyptic future have be around for age and since the very creation of science fiction a a genre per se . the fact that today society be responsible for what may become of the future in the near tomorrow and and that our own abuse and refusal to see what be right before out eye be at the very center of all of these story and whether they be good or bad . terry gilliam of course be a natural for this kind of film . he give the movie a decadent feel throughout and show a society run rag by it own excess and bring forth the a sense of imminent tragedy despite have moment of comedy . his world and the world in which twelve monkey transpires and be a place where the mad run wild and where city be collapse in filth and neglect and where everything reek of forebode despite the luminosity of the opening sequence and where madness loom at every corner . this be a very dark movie and but his very best and most linear ( despite the plot twist which hold up under examination ) and and one which get well with repeated viewing . a tragic event in which a deadly virus be unleashed onto humanity in 1996 and thus lead to the extermination of life on the planet a we have know it lead to scientist of the future to try and make amends to change humanity fate on the earth by employ renegade citizens the scum of the earth a guinea pig to go back in time and among them one james cole ( underplayed to great effect by bruce willis ) . cole could be any person . we do not know anything about him and but in a way and that doesn not matter since he be little more than one of many expendable volunteer and hint of his character sneak in later a he get close to fulfil his mission . what we do know be that he be a man who dream and and his dream may have be reality represent he may have already be at the scene of the event of 1996. it this constant sense of deja vu that keep pop up throughout the movie . when take to a mental ward by mistake in 1990 he meet jeffrey goines ( spastically play by brad pitt and oscar nominate here ) who frantically spew forth talk about doom and destruction and and later cole believe he have see goines in his recur dream a a man push a boy aside while escape . what . he doesn not know . later he meet a psychologist and kathryn railly ( madeleine stowe ) and and one of her first reaction to him be that he insane and and that she see him before . this become a running notion throughout her participation in this story from passive or resistant to active and even slightly crazy believer that something terrible be come this way and especially when she meet him six year later represent she have see cole before . at the same time and cole continue talk about a dream he keep have in which she also play a part a a blonde woman run down the aisle and screaming for help and after shot have ring out and a particular red head man in a ponytail ( jeffrey goines . ) have apparently escape and not before push the little boy who be an innocent bystander . the question arise represent have these event happen . be they go to happen . who be really a part of this and or good yet be everyone and down to the small player and a part of a great plot . or be this all some trick in the fabric of time in which time in itself be one huge conveyor belt show repetition of fragment of event that slide by over and over again . these question be formulate in a masterful sequence which include key scene of alfred hitchcock masterpiece vertigo in which madeleine elster or judy barton mourn her own brief existence ( you take no notice and she say and a cole and railly watch from their seat in the movie theatre they be hide in ) . snippet of dialog from vertigo form a foil to the dialog between railly and cole and later and when cole awakens from have apparently doze off in the theatre and go look for railly and he come face to face with her in disguise ( look almost exactly like eva maria saint from north by northwest ) a the swell bernard herrmann score play the emergence of judy barton and dress a madeleine elster . it a fascinating sequence and more so because of the most improbable occurrence of the name of the actor in both film represent madeleine stowe play kathryn railly who don a blond wig and grey trench coat and call herself judy simmons while help an insane man name james cole while james stewart play a detective who try to help insane madeleine elster who will later re appear not once and but twice and first a brunette judy barton and and later and a madeleine . action and re enaction and play and re play .