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The Thirteenth Floor

Play trailer Poster for The Thirteenth Floor R 1999 1h 40m Sci-Fi Mystery & Thriller Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
29% Tomatometer 63 Reviews 64% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A man awakens to discover a bloody shirt in his house and his boss murdered the night before. Did he do it? Why can't he remember? "The Thirteenth Floor" is a sci-fi thriller that explores the ominous possibility of computer-simulated universes, where people only believe they are real.
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The Thirteenth Floor

The Thirteenth Floor

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Critics Consensus

Bad script and confusing plot undermine the movie's impressive visuals.

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Critics Reviews

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Lawrence Van Gelder New York Times 01/01/2000
2/5
[A] stylish but overplotted and ultimately illogical combination of science fiction, mystery and romance. Go to Full Review Susan Stark Detroit News 01/01/2000
1/4
This is a film about deeply confused people that seems likely to put viewers in a state of deep confusion for most of its running time. Go to Full Review Bob Graham San Francisco Chronicle 01/01/2000
2/4
This is fascinating stuff and would be more so if the actors brought more energy to it. Go to Full Review Kevin Carr Fat Guys at the Movies 02/03/2024
2/4
Some neat ideas are in there, but they drown in melodrama. This would have stood a better chance if it wasn’t released in the shadow of The Matrix. Go to Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 09/25/2020
7/10
With its focus on psychological thrills instead of action, it becomes more about theories than visuals, allowing the creativity to overcome the shortcomings in execution. Go to Full Review Steve Newton Georgia Straight 02/02/2014
3.5/5
It's an effective noir thriller that keeps you, if not on the edge of your seat, at least curious about what might happen next. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Chris M @chrismays13 May 6 This is a case of the material being too esoteric for mainstream reviewers, who seemed to be confused by the layered narratives and characters essential to the story. Based on the 1964 novel Simulacron-3 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacron-3], which was also adapted into a miniseries World On A Wire (1973) by the great Rainer Werner Fassbinder [https://archive.org/details/world-on-a-wire-1973-welt-am-draht-original-title-crime-mystery-sci-fi-r-w-fassbinder-360p]. The Thirteenth Floor is also part of the trio of Y2K sci-fi films hinging on virtual realities, with The Matrix (1999) and the Cronenberg thriller Existenz (1999). Although not as iconic as The Matrix, nor as squeamishly delicious as Existenz, the protagonist's noirish struggle to unravel the mystery of his own nature and identity resonates more with Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall (1990) than with the other Y2K mind-benders. Gretchen Mol has the standout role as the guardian angel, while Vincent D'Onofrio's arc is tragic. See more Mike S. @RT54543932 Apr 30 Good enough to stay engaged. Excellent ending to leave me fulfilled. See more Rosie D. @Rosieeeee Apr 8 Maybe we’re all just living in a simulation controlled by some higher intelligence, and everything around us is just an illusion. But that's fine. I think, therefore I am. See more Melissa L @Agent99 Mar 25 I thought the virtual reality effects were great for the year the movie was released. I liked it. See more Cathy B @cathy210 Mar 24 I thought some of the themes explored were fascinating such morality in virtual reality and the human body as a vessel for souls... not just only one soul. 4.5 Stars because the ending didn't make sense. I would NOT trust my husband if I ever said those words "Why did you butcher all those people?" even if she did say it to him in a different reality! See more Matt J @RT95392035 Oct 21 It was OK. Released the same year as The Matrix which is much better in every possible way. Worth a watch but expectations should be set low, especially if you've seen The Matrix. See more Read all reviews
The Thirteenth Floor

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Cast & Crew

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Josef Rusnak

Director

Craig Bierko

Douglas Hall

Armin Mueller-Stahl

Hannon Fuller

Gretchen Mol

Jane Fuller

Vincent D'Onofrio

Whitney

Dennis Haysbert

Detective Larry McBain

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The Thirteenth Floor

A mysterious woman named Jane (Gretchen Mol) may hold the key to the mystery. Vincent D'Onofrio plays vicious and volatile bartender Ashton, who inhabits a computer-simulated version of 1937 Los Angeles. In THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR, a violent Ashton (Vincent D'Onofrio) pursues an enemy in a version of 1937 Los Angeles that was actually created on a computer. THIRTEENTH FLOOR is a sci-fi thriller that blurs the lines between fact and fantasy and examines the possibility that an illusory universe may exist. A prime suspect in a murder investigation, Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko) prepares to enter a computer-simulated universe to find the truth and clear his name. Veteran detective Larry McBain (Dennis Haysbert, right) questions soft-spoken computer programmer Whitney (Vincent D'Onofrio) about the murder of Hannon Fuller. As he is pulled into the vortex of two parallel worlds, one 'real' and one computer-simulated, Douglas Hall (Bierko) realizes that the answers may lie with an enigmatic woman named Jane (Mol). The Thirteenth Floor (1999) The Thirteenth Floor (1999) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A man awakens to discover a bloody shirt in his house and his boss murdered the night before. Did he do it? Why can't he remember? "The Thirteenth Floor" is a sci-fi thriller that explores the ominous possibility of computer-simulated universes, where people only believe they are real.
Director
Josef Rusnak
Producer
Roland Emmerich, Ute Emmerich, Marco Weber
Screenwriter
Daniel F. Galouye, Ravel Centeno-Rodriguez
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Centropolis Film Productions
Rating
R (Violence|Language)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 28, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 16, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$11.8M
Runtime
1h 40m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)