Customer Reviews

The Thirteenth Floor

5 star:		(66)
4 star:		(54)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

but you shouldn't. This is a very good movie and most any sci-fi or cyber freak should enjoy it. The premise is that in the near future a Los Angeles-based company has almost perfected a virtual reality system so real that a customer can jack into it and experience 1937 L.A. as a real person, interacting with cyberpeople who behave as real as their real-world counterparts. When the Craig Bierko character's boss (played by Armin Mueller-Stahl) turns up dead, our hero has no choice but to go into the 1937 reality. He discovers a very spooky thing: those 1937 characters have developed an independent consciousness and don't realize that they are "unreal" in any sense, mere technical creations.

The plot thickens, and I don't want to spoil it. I thought this movie should have done much better at the box office, and possibly it would have if not for the fact that The Matrix blew it and quite a few ships out of the water in the virtual-reality flick department. But The Thirteenth Floor has its own charms, and is well worth enjoying on its own terms.

Here are a few elements of this movie that might appeal to some people:

Firstly, it presents a clearer, more sensible idea of how virtual reality works than its 1999 movie siblings "THE MATRIX" or "eXistenZ". And it does it thoughtfully, without mind-numbing action scenes and special-effects.

Secondly, the virtual reality world of L.A. in the 1930s is visually rich, yet doesn't stray too far from a realistic look.

Bonus extras are Armin Mueller-Stahl's, Vincent D'Onofrio's and Dennis Haysbert's performances, Gretchen Mol's lusciousness (also enjoyably down-to-earth as a grocery clerk), and exquisite direction and photography (Josef Rusnak, Wedigo von Schultzendorff)

On the DVD, director Rusnak makes the accompanying commentary in the way I like -- he comments on what we're watching with relevent and interesting behind-the-scenes info.

I rewatch this film (and film with commentary) frequently for these reasons.

Tired of explosions and bad guys who shoot hundreds of bullets but still miss their main target? Try this drama/sci fi movie. The characters are the stars, not the sets nor the action sequences. Bierko is great as the lead and has star quality. Why can't he get more roles? Gretchen Mol is beautiful and is convincing as the mysterious blonde with a hidden agenda. I don't want to give much away as this is really a classical mystery.

This movie is not a "Matrix rip off", far from it, it is one of the best Sci-Fi films I have ever seen. Craig Bierko is fantastic as Doug Hall, the computer scientist who is the prime suspect in the murder of his boss (Armin Mueller Stahl), Vincent D'onofrio is great as usual as Doug's partner Whitney, this is a great movie with great acting, great special effects and a great story, This is not I repeat NOT a Matrix retread, it goes where the Matrix did, and beyond, this movie is for fans of the old film noir movies, but still crave good sci-fi, This movie just proves that you don't need blood and guns, to make a good action movie.

I saw this movie because I was bored and walking by the theater. I thought I would be killing time for a couple of hours: I was wrong, this time was not killed, it was extremely well spent. The thing I liked best about this film is that it doesn't take time out to explain things, but rather simply shows you the situation, and leaves the understanding to you. In other words, it does not insult your intelligence. Its theme is similar to that of The Matrix, Dark City, and ExistenZ. Having seen all of these, I would rate this one the best of all of them. While I enjoy cinematic gunfire and explosions as well as anyone, I do enjoy a film which does not feature a lot of this sort of thing, and instead relies on the plot itself to keep the story moving. This film is one such. The movie posters said "Question Reality." I am now following that advice. I would rate this film as the best I've seen this year. Now I'm just waiting for the video to come down in price.

THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR....most buildings don't have them due to our superstitions about the unlucky number. This movie's 13th floor adds some validity to this concern, but in a way one wouldn't imagine.
Opening with a stunning recreation of 1937 Los Angeles, the film moves into its labrynthine plot. Since that plot has been so carefully relayed by other reviewers, I won't bore the reader with my summation.
Suffice to say, it is an unusual film (I haven't seen MATRIX)that takes the viewer into a simulated world that is both intriguing and frightening.
Craig Bierko as Douglas gives a nicely understated performance in three very different roles. I've never seen Mr. Bierko before, but he should have a bright future..he's kind of like a Mel Gibson prototype in his laconic delivery.
Vincent D'Onofrio, a brilliant actor, gets to ham it up in two very different roles, one a villain, one a computer nerd.
Gretchen Mol looks like she stepped out of a 40s movie, and projects the right amount of mystery and sensuality.
Dennis Haysbert as the cop reminds me of Denzel Washington at times, but gives a solid performance.
Armin Mueller-Stahl as the pictures' focal character does a good job as well.
The direction is tight and the effects are dazzling, but the recreation of the 30s is beautifully shot and lit.
A nice surprise for reality vs. illusion fans.

I love the movie, but was really disappointed in this DVD! When I purchased it, I didn't notice that it was only the full screen version. Coming back to check on Amazon, it seems this movie is not even available in wide screen! (At least not in region one.) So many of the special effects shots are wasted in a full screen version. You don't really get the full effect. If they ever do a widescreen version I would buy it but this DVD does not do the movie justice.
Another disappointment in this DVD is the lack of special features. This DVD is listed as a "Special Edition." Seeing that, I was expecting some good special features, but all it had was the trailer, a few still shots, and a VERY brief one-screen bio on the actors. That is not what I would expect from a special edition!
I get the impression the DVD version was rushed together with very little thought. Sony, you can do better than this!!!

Yes, this movie pre-dates the Matrix and in fact has a much more interesting storyline than that film. I see why the 2 are so often compared, but I would describe the 13th Floor as an intellectual version of the Matrix.

The plot has already been discussed so I am going to simply mention some of my favorite aspects of this film. It was fascinating how these programmers could create such a realistic virtual world, wherein the people are programs and have no idea of the truth (see, how the Matrix ripped it off?). Imagine finding out you are nothing but a bunch of 1's and 0's and there is no possibility for change or escape?

It is exceedingly clever how one character leaves clues in the virtual world that allows another character to help solve a mystery in the real one.

Interestingly, perhaps due to a limited budget, more attention was paid to the actual story instead of filling the screen with all kinds of cheesy cgi, which resulted in a better, more fulfilling movie, as opposed to a simple action flick.

Vincent D'Onofrio submits yet another stellar acting performance. I am always floored by how he can look so completely different from one role to the next. Check out the brilliant independant flick, Salton Sea, if you are a fan. (As an aside, while I did not particularly enjoy The Cell, Vincent gave the most chilling performance I have ever seen in my life and one that I will never forget...too bad Jlo was involved.)

If you are interested in the concept of virtual reality or even parallel worlds, or maybe just new types of entertainment technology, you will no doubt enjoy the 13th Floor. While it is a slow-moving drama, the intriguing storyline and believable performances will keep you more interested in this film in the long run than some cheesy, special effects laden popcorn flick.

Not the best "What Is Real" movie, but interesting. If you don't like dark movies or science fiction, then this may not hold your attention. Not as well executed as Matrix, doesn't pose the questions that The Truman Show does about the nature of human existence, not as troubling as Dark City. Still, mostly satisfactory. Unfortunately, the plot twist becomes quite obvious well before the final "Aha" moment. Well enough foreshadowed that anybody who's survived eighth grade may well see it coming. Still, sufficiently satisfying to be worth watching.

If you enjoy this movie, you may also enjoy Jack Chalker's Wonderland Gambit series, starting with The Cybernetic Walrus. While reading that book, I kept thinking of this movie--not that the scenes are similar, but the concepts start out close ...

Five stars for visuals, three stars for making it too obvious where it's going to end, four for the plot.

this movie is one of the best i've seen in years... if you're tired of the typical hollywood action films and prefer pure psychological suspense and highly surprising endings, then u gotta see it! the special effects are pretty cool also, and for those who think the characters' actions or the plot itself makes no sense, this is mainly SCI-FI ok? nobody said it could happen in real life! i highly recommend it =)