In the 1980s, Bruce Willis established himself as a more grounded leading man compared to other action heroes of the decade like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Willis characters like John McClane were ordinary souls whose success was so savory because they were such clear underdogs. Given his penchant for playing the everyman, it’s impressive how many sci-fi classics Willis headlined in his career. This movie star provided a discernible human anchor in the ultra-wacky sensibilities of The Fifth Element, while he was a hauntingly world-weary adversary in Rian Johnson’s time-travel movie Looper.
Willis also embraced the world of heightened sci-fi cinema in one of his greatest movies, the 1995 Terry Gilliam directorial effort 12 Monkeys. Though he didn’t give the flashiest performance in the film, Willis still made a fantastic anchor for this loopy and grim time travel yarn. Even in a career full of impressive creative highs, 12 Monkeys was an especially impressive endeavor for Willis.
What is 12 Monkeys?
In 12 Monkeys, Willis plays James Cole, one of the few human survivors on Earth in the year 2035. Here, Cole works for a group of powerful humans scrambling to create a cure for the virus that destroyed the human race. As part of his forced cooperation with these souls, he’s sent back in time to learn information about the virus and the Army of the Twelve Monkeys (the group purportedly responsible for armageddon). Cole gets way more than he bargained for, though, when he’s accidentally sent back to 1990 rather than his 1995 destination.
The ensuing journey is one full of twists, detours into other time periods (like World War I), and a zany motormouth performance from Brad Pitt as Jeffrey Goines. In the middle of all these shenanigans so removed from ordinary life, Willis imbues James Cole with tangible touches of humanity. Especially impressive are the moments where Cole savors what a different world 1990s Earth is from the desolate land of 2035. Willis lends such believability to Cole’s euphoria over experiencing something as conceptually simple as the wind, which really makes it easy to invest in this man’s plight.
Gilliam and writers David and Janet Peoples also intriguingly utilize Willis’ innately ordinary nature as a performer. Just like everyone underestimated John McClane in Die Hard, so too is James Cole perceived as just a pawn for far more powerful souls in the future. Cole is always at the mercy of his superiors, time travel faults, and even (as depicted in the grim 12 Monkeys ending) the unbending nature of time itself. Willis is just the man to capture Cole as a discernible realistic human being caught up in circumstances so much bigger than himself.
Willis and Pitt Prove a Killer Combo
An underrated quality of Bruce Willis as a performer was how good he was as a foil for outsized performances. He was a perfect counterbalance to Meryl Streep and Michelle Pfeiffer in Death Becomes Her, for instance. Similarly, Willis was hysterical playing opposite Samuel L. Jackson in Die Hard with a Vengeance or keeping a straight face against the stylized backdrops of Moonrise Kingdom. 12 Monkeys also shines in displaying this trait, with Willis excelling rubbing shoulders with Brad Pitt’s Jeffrey Goines.
While Pitt is talking a mile a minute with equally lively hand gestures, Willis (whose earliest scenes with Pitt feature James Cole in a dissociated state) really commits to being as subdued as possible so that Goines’ madness is felt. There’s no way audiences can miss this young revolutionary’s pronounced personality thanks to how well he plays off Willis. Chalk up another win for Willis and his gift for gelling with deeply pronounced co-stars.
12 Monkeys, though, especially is a winner for Willis in terms of how challenging it is. Its oddball non-linear narrative and somber tone are far more unorthodox qualities than you’d associate with other ’90s features headlined by ’80s action stars. Willis wasn’t above throwaway ’90s dreck, including Die Hard 2. However, 12 Monkeys, like Looper or Moonrise Kingdom, exemplified how this actor could also take fascinating chances that really let his acting chops flourish. A terrifically engaging movie on any level, 12 Monkeys also stands out as one of the creative pinnacles in the career of Bruce Willis.
12 Monkeys is now available to rent or purchase from digital retailers.
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2025-03-16 17:11