The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Josef Rusnak

Writers:

Daniel F. Galouye (book)
Josef Rusnak (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 May 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Question reality. You can go there even though it doesn't exist.

Plot:

Computer scientist Hannon Fuller has discovered something extremely important. He's about to tell the discovery to his colleague...

Plot Keywords:

Letter | Parallel World | Shot In The Head | Stabbing | Hollywood Sign

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Craig Bierko	...	Douglas Hall / John Ferguson / David
Armin Mueller-Stahl	...	Hannon Fuller / Grierson
Gretchen Mol	...	Jane Fuller / Natasha Molinaro
Vincent D'Onofrio	...	Jason Whitney / Jerry Ashton
Dennis Haysbert	...	Detective Larry McBain
Steven Schub	...	Detective Zev Bernstein
Jeremy Roberts	...	Tom Jones
Rif Hutton	...	Joe
Leon Rippy	...	Jane's Lawyer
Janet MacLachlan	...	Ellen
Brad William Henke	...	Cop #1 (as Brad Henke)
Burt Bulos	...	Bellhop
Venessia Valentino	...	Concierge
Howard S. Miller	...	Chauffeur
Tia Texada	...	Natasha's Roomate

Also Known As:

Abwärts in die Zukunft (Germany) (TV title)
The 13th Floor (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:18SG (uncut version) | Malaysia:U (cut version) | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Iceland:16 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

777 S. Figueroa Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Centropolis Film Productions

Trivia:

The science fiction novel Simulacron-3 was also published under the title Counterfeit World, it was first published in 1964 by Daniel F. Galouye in the United States, and is one of the first literary descriptions of virtual reality.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the first scene of the film, Fuller writes the letter with a fountain pen. This is clear in the close-up where the "feed" is visible under the nib. It also has a cap. The pen is dipped into a desk inkwell. Fountain pens are never dipped into an inkwell. It is set down in a grove on the desk set, which would be a correct action for a dip pen, which it was not.

Quotes:

Hannon Fuller: [First lines] Ignorance is bliss. For the first time in my life, I agree.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Easy Come, Easy Go

Thoughtful Sci-Fi in the Vain of Gattaca

The Thirteenth Floor is a thoughtful and engaging film that asks its audience to think about the difference between reality and virtual reality. The Matrix asks similar questions in an action format appealing to a wider audience, but the Thirteenth Floor exceeds the Matrix in two respects. First, it uses a thoughtful approach that establishes its characters as more than 2-D, comic-book type heroes and villains. Second, it builds longer and with more subtlety, so that the payoff comes much later.

And a delightful payoff it is. Imagine the Matrix with less action fluff, real human relationships, and a plot twist reminiscent of the Sixth Sense. Fans of thought-provoking science fiction in the vain of Gattaca will enjoy the Thirteenth Floor just as well.