13th Floor, The Back to Index

Imdb Rating: 6.4
Genre: Mystery
Directed: Daniel F. Galouye (book), Josef Rusnak (screenplay)
Country: Germany
Year: 1999
Duration: 100 min

Media: Hot stuff

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

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

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


Comment: This movie was both critically and financially panned. Why?

Two words. The Matrix.

The Thirteenth Floor is a good movie. No, it's not "The Matrix" all over again, but it wasn't trying to be. Comparing these two movies is like comparing Star Trek with Star Wars. Both are similar in aspects, but very different in others.

This is what happens when two movies of similar type are released in close proximity. The first one always has a jump-start on the second by means of box office success and pleasant reviews. That's why I think "The Thirteenth Floor" was branded as a bad movie. People had already seen "The Matrix" with it's knock-out special effects and cast and weren't open-minded for a movie on the same genre branch as The Matrix. So The 13th Floor was said to be 'a bland, pale imitation of the Matrix'.

Maybe "The Thirteenth Floor" doesn't have a star-studded cast - yes, it's cast is mostly regular supporting players, but they work well with the material. So there's no kung-fu ass kicking scenes, so what!

There's a great atmosphere, a intriguing story and a real nice plot twist. To me that makes up a very fine movie. So I ask what was so very wrong with "The Thirteenth Floor" that made critics turn away and made it tank at the box office? Really it's people's unwillingness to give a similar movie a chance and instead opting to take the easy route and branding it as a "rip-off". Which is their loss unfortunately.

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