time paradox be the devil snare for underemployed mind . theyre fun to consider in a what if . sort of way . film maker and author have deal with this time and again in a host of film and television include star trek represent first contact and the back to the future trilogy and bill and ted excellent adventure and groundhog day and the stargate sg1 homage and window of opportunity . heinlein all you zombie be write decade ago and yet it will still spin out people read that short story for the first time . in the case of terry gilliam excellent film and 12 monkey and it hard to establish what may be continuity problem versus plot element intend to make u re think our conception of the film . repeat viewing will drive u to different conclusion if we retain an open mind . some and see the film for the first time and will regard cole and play by bruce willis and a a schizophrenic . most will see cole a a man disturb by what adams describe a the continual wrenching of experience visit upon him by time travel . unlike other time travel story and 12 monkey be unclear a to whether future history can be change by manipulate event in the past . cole tell his psychiatrist and railly ( madeleine stowe ) and that time can not be change and but a phone call he make from the airport be intercept by scientist after he have be send back to 1996 and in his own personal time line . even this could be construe a an event that have to happen in a single time line universe and in order to ensure that the time line be not alter . cole have to die before the eye of his young self for fate to be realize . if that the case and time be like a fluid and it always find it own level or path and irrespective of the external force work on it . it boggle the mind to dwell on this sort of thing too much . if you can change future event that then guide the action of those with the power to send people back in time and a we see on board the plane at the end of the film and then that mean the future can be change by manipulate past event . or do it . the film have probably lead to plenty of drunken brawl at bar frequent by physicist and mathematician .