The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

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.

Buy The Thirteenth Floor (1999) Now

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.

Read Best Reviews of The Thirteenth Floor (1999) Here

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.

Want The Thirteenth Floor (1999) Discount?

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.

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