THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR
Rated R
Starring Craig Bierko, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Gretchen Mol and Vincent D'Onofrio

CineSight Rating * 1/2

Douglas Hall (Bierko) becomes the prime suspect when his friend and former boss, Hannon Fuller (Mueller-Stahl) is murdered. The fact that Fuller named him heir to his computer company makes a very compelling motive in the eyes of the police. Although Hall suffers from occasional memory lapses, he's convinced he's innocent and sets out to clear his name.

Out of the blue, someone claiming to be Jane Fuller (Mol), the victim's daughter, shows up from France. But is she there to help Hall or hinder him? Since Fuller had been spending considerable time submerged in an experimental virtual reality program before his death, Hall goes looking for the killer's identity there. With the help of computer geek Whitney (D'Onofrio), he enters the program on the thirteenth floor of Fuller's office building - a complete re-creation of 1930's Los Angeles. As he begins uncovering clues to the mystery, he realizes there are far more connections between the simulation and the real world than meet the eye.

DVD Features * Widescreen & Standard Formats * Audio Commentary * Concept Art * Before-and-After Effects Gallery * Music Video * Theatrical Trailer * Production Notes/Bios * Languages: English * Subtitles: English

CineSight Comments

THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR toys with a couple of interesting ideas - interaction between various realities or layers of reality, and of trying to solve a mystery in this strange context. However, the ideas barely make it onto the screen. The movie suffers from a lack of development and uninspired execution. I almost felt sorry for the cast, struggling to make something of their uninvolving characters. For a high-tech thriller, THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR can't match the rollercoaster thrills and twists of THE MATRIX and DARK CITY, the movies it attempts to emulate.

Personally I found the extra features on the disk more interesting than the movie itself, especially the before-and-after effects shots.