Twelve Monkeys may be one of the most subtly subversive commentaries on the Catholic Church (or Christianity in general). The themes and images in the movie, from the prophecies to the Doctor's claim that psychiatry is "the new religion" to the Mary and Jesus like pose in the end, suggest an underlying religious message. Consider the fact that Cole was "sent" in order to "save" mankind from death (brought by a charismatic gentleman with red hair, no less), resulting in a future in which the elites of the establishment control the "cure" and determine who will "ascend" to the world above. Other allusions include the "army of the twelve monkeys" (re: twelve Apostles), the word "Chris" on Cole's shirt (only missing one letter), and Cole's visions of his death. (One more: Cole's first name begins with a "J." Think initials.) [All of this is your opinion, and is a pretty broad misreading of Christian dogma anyway. Christ was not sent to save man from death; theologically speaking death is regarded as the transition to the afterlife, not something to be avoided. Christ was set to redeem our sins, something not even hinted at in 12 Monkeys. Who is the 'charismatic gentleman with red hair' supposed to be? I can find no reference anywhere in the Bible to such a character. Finally, comparing the twelve apostles to plague carrying monkeys isn't something I'd try during a Papal audience. This is just an example of looking for significance that just isn't there.]

How was Cole supposed to get on a plane without having any identification documents? [Pretty easy to do pre-9/11.]

Katherine's phone message that is responsible for the hypothesis about the Army of the 12 Monkeys is left as a direct result of her experience with Cole, and at the same time what leads to him being sent back in the first place. Well, if that message is there all along, then why isn't the one Cole left at the airport contradicting it also present from the beginning? It should have created a paradox, as it would have stopped the investigation into the Army before it started, hence the first message would never have been left. [Both messages are there all the time but one (Coles) was more degraded than the other (Katherines), and the scientists needed more time to work on it.]

When Cole forces the doctor to get in the car, she drops her purse but they still get in the car and drive off. Later on in the film she gets her bag out with the stuff she dropped in it. [When James gets into the car you can see him pick up the stuff and throw it into the back of the car.]