12 Monkeys (1995)
Bruce Willis: James Cole
Photos
Quotes
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James Cole : All I see are dead people.
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James Cole : I am insane. And you are my insanity.
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James Cole : I'm here about some monkeys.
Jeffrey Goines : Monkeys?
James Cole : Monkeys. Yes. Twelve of them.
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[James Cole found a spider and knows he's got to take it with him, let's it crawl over his hand while deciding what to do with it]
Jeffrey Goines : You know what crazy is? Crazy is majority rules. Take germs, for example.
James Cole : Germs?
Jeffrey Goines : Uh-huh. In the eighteenth century, no such thing, nada, nothing. No one ever imagined such a thing. No sane person, anyway. Ah! Ah! Along comes this doctor, uh, uh, uh, Semmelweis, Semmelweis. Semmelweis comes along. He's trying to convince people, well, other doctors mainly, that's there's these teeny tiny invisible bad things called germs that get into your body and make you sick. Ah? He's trying to get doctors to wash their hands. What is this guy? Crazy? Teeny, tiny, invisible? What do you call it? Uh-uh, germs? Huh? What? Now, cut to the 20th century. Last week, as a matter of fact, before I got dragged into this hellhole. I go in to order a burger in this fast food joint, and the guy drops it on the floor. Jim, he picks it up, he wipes it off, he hands it to me like it's all OK. "What about the germs?" I say. He says, "I don't believe in germs. Germs is just a plot they made up so they can sell you disinfectants and soaps." Now he's crazy, right? See?
[James Cole finally takes the spider into his mouth, Jeffrey Goines is either too deep into his talk or unimpressed by this and continues his talk as if nothing happened]
Jeffrey Goines : Ah! Ah! There's no right, there's no wrong, there's only popular opinion. You... you... you believe in germs, right?
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James Cole : Oh, wouldn't it be great if I *was* crazy? Then the world would be okay.
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James Cole : I want the future to be unknown. I want to become a whole person.
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[first lines]
James Cole : Jose - psst! Jose, what's going on?
Jose : Bad news, man
James Cole : Volunteers?
Jose : Yeah. And they said your name.
[pause]
Jose : Hey, maybe they'll give you a pardon, man.
James Cole : [sarcastic] Yeah, that's why none of the volunteers come back. They all get a pardon.
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James Cole : She's not honey babe, she's a doctor. My psychiatrist. Understand?
Charlie the Hotel Clerk : Whatever gets it up for you, Jack.
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James Cole : Look at them. They're just asking for it. Maybe the human race deserves to be wiped out.
Jeffrey Goines : Wiping out the human race? That's a great idea. That's great. But more of a long-term thing. I mean, first we have to focus on more immediate goals.
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James Cole : This is a place for crazy people. I'm not crazy.
Dr. Owen Fletcher : We don't use the term "crazy," Mr. Cole.
James Cole : Well, you've got some real nuts here.
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Louie : Where'd they send you?
James Cole : 1990.
Louie : '90! How was it? Good drugs? Lots of pussy? Hey, Bob, you do the job? You find out the big info? Army of the 12 Monkeys?
James Cole : I was supposed to be 1996.
Louie : Science ain't an exact science with these clowns but, they're getting better. You're lucky you didn't end up in ancient Egypt!
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Dr. Kathryn Railly : What is the matter with your leg?
James Cole : Got shot.
Dr. Kathryn Railly : Shot! Who shot you?
James Cole : I don't know. It was some kind of war. Never mind. You wouldn't believe me anyway.
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James Cole : [handful of bloody teeth] This is how they find us, by our teeth.
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James Cole : I remember being afraid for that little boy. All alone, down that well, not knowing if anybody's going to get him out. First time I was ever really afraid when I was a kid.
Dr. Kathryn Railly : What do you mean, when you were a kid?
James Cole : Never mind. It's just a prank, a hoax. That boy's hiding in a barn.
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Dr. Kathryn Railly : Wh-wh-where are we going?
James Cole : Philadelphia.
Dr. Kathryn Railly : That's more than a hundred miles! We can't...
James Cole : That's why I can't walk there.
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Dr. Kathryn Railly : If you don't turn yourself over to the police, they're going to, to kill you, then they're going to shoot me too because I'm going to be the accessory to murder.
James Cole : You're all gonna die.
Dr. Kathryn Railly : Nobody is going to die! You're not going to save the world, okay? You're delusional. You've made all this up out of bits and pieces in your head.
James Cole : No.
Dr. Kathryn Railly : Yes! Let me give you an example. You know Jeffrey Goines. You were both patients at County Hospital at the same time.
James Cole : Jeffrey Goines was a fruitcake!
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James Cole : So now it's not about the virus at all. It's about following orders, doing what you're told.
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Dr. Kathryn Railly : [Kathryn has just sent a voice message to the phone number James had] James! It's okay! We're crazy! I left a message to the carpet cleaning company saying, 'Feel free to conduct an investigation at second avenue at the secret headquarters of the twelve monkeys. There the ones who are going to do it. I can't do anything more now, I have to go, have a Merry Christmas.'
James Cole : [He mirrors what she says] ... secret headquarters of the twelve monkeys. There the ones who are going to do it. I can't do anything more now, I have to go, have a Merry Christmas.
Dr. Kathryn Railly : [Confused, as she gestures to the phone booths] T-there's no way you could have heard me f...
James Cole : They got your message.
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James Cole : I'm looking for the Army of the Twelve Monkeys.
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Geologist : [after James Cole informs the scientists that he was sent to the wrong year] What did you do with you time Cole? Did you waste it on drugs? Women?
James Cole : They forced me to take drugs!
Microbiologist : Forced you? Why would someone force you to take drugs?
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James Cole : [In 1990, James is being interviewed by a panel of mental health doctors and trying to explain the situation] 1996 is the past too, listen to me!
[the panel of doctors look at James with skeptical expressions]
James Cole : What I...
[James realizing this isn't going very well]
James Cole : ... what I need to do is make a telephone call. I can straighten this all out if I can make a telephone call.
Dr. Owen Fletcher : [Very skeptical] Who would you call? Who would straighten everything out?
James Cole : The scientists. They'll want to know they sent me to the wrong time.
[Dr Fletcher just nods]
James Cole : I can leave a voice mail message that they monitor from the present.
[Panel has mixed facial expressions]
James Cole : Can I just make one telephone call please?
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[while driving, they hear a news report about a police mobilization]
Dr. Kathryn Railly : [tartly] Does that disturb you?
James Cole : No. I thought it was about us. I thought maybe they'd captured us and arrested me.
[Kathryn looks at him and he gives a small smile]
James Cole : Just a joke.
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James Cole : I love this air. Oh, such wonderful air!
Dr. Kathryn Railly : What is wonderful about the air, James?
James Cole : Very fresh. No germs.
Dr. Kathryn Railly : Why...
[giggles]
Dr. Kathryn Railly : why do you think there aren't any germs in the air?
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James Cole : Is this real or one of my delusions?
Dr. Kathryn Railly : This is definitely real.
