Twelve Monkeys (1995): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1995, Twelve Monkeys is a thriller, mystery and science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, running about 129 minutes. “The future is history.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly, and patient Jeffrey Goines, the son of a famous virus expert, who may hold the key to the mysterious rogue group, the Army of the 12 Monkeys, thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.

Who’s in it. Twelve Monkeys stars Bruce Willis as James Cole, Madeleine Stowe as Dr. Kathryn Railly, Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines and Christopher Plummer as Dr. Goines, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.6/10, Twelve Monkeys has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $168.8M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Twelve Monkeys page.

If you liked it. Fans of Twelve Monkeys tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, Pulp Fiction, Parasite and Fight Club.