THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR **1/2 (out of five stars) A review by Jamey Hughton
Starring-Craig Bierko, Vincent D’Onofrio, Gretchen Mol, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Dennis Haysbert Director-Josef Rusnak Rated 14A
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A good sci-fi is hard to come by these days. For every ingenious, mind-boggling rarity like The Matrix, there are half a dozen idiotic atrocities such as Virus. Where does The Thirteenth Floor come into play? Somewhere in the middle, I should think.
During every twist and turn of this movie, you can sense the abundance of good ideas stirring. The problem is, these ideas are never allowed to escape, and the experience we’re left with putters along for an incredibly hollow two-hour running time. Director Joseph Rusnak obviously thinks that less is more. Well, in a situation like The Thirteenth Floor, more would have definintely been appreciated.
The story involves brilliant scientist Hammond Fuller (Armin Mueller-Stahl), who’s created a possible link to a parallel dimension; a visual simulation that allows the user to be transported circa 1937 and experience the old days. As we soon learn, Fuller has something very important to tell a co-worker of his named Douglas Hall (Craig Bierko). But before he successfully passes on the message, he is brutally stabbed to death by an unknown assailant outside a bar. The first twenty minutes of The Thirteenth Floor contain just the right dosage of intrigue and paranoia, but the story soon dissipates into a jigsaw puzzle that never gets finished. It has the right pieces, but never uses them quite right.
Yes, this film does have obvious comparisons to Dark City, eXistenZ and The Matrix. But it’s approach is so laid-back and boring you don’t seem to care. Even when the plot gets up into high gear (if that’s what you want to call it), you still want it to go that extra yard.
The premise is quite intriguing, but I needed far more convincing. In the last third, there’s an interesting sub-plot that delves into the question of “what is reality?” Could it be possible that their world is also a simulation, and that Fuller’s creation had already been experimented with and they were the resulting product? Could their world be a mere fabrication for other’s enjoyment? The Thirteenth Floor raises so many questions, but unfortunately very few are answered for our convenience.
The cast has a fun time playing dual, or sometimes triple roles with this scenario. Vincent D’Onofrio plays a present day computer programmer named Whitney, but also the tight-fisted bartender Ashton in 1937. Gretchen Mol is unfairly wasted as a mysterious woman charading as Fuller’s daughter, but also as a part-time clerk at a grocery store. The one actor who plays just a single character is Dennis Haysbert, captivating yet underused as a LAPD detective on the case.
With all of its shortcomings, it’s thankful the visual appearance of The Thirteenth Floor is both diverting and impressive. There are marvelous old-fashioned crane shots that cover the towering, shimmering buildings of present day Los Angeles, and the 30’s are shown with convincing effect.
It’s really too bad that The Thirteenth Floor couldn’t have amounted to more. It had the potential to be a great science-fiction film. It’s always important to have a strong premise in this sort of film, but the payoff is even more vital. The rising action will set the audience up, hopefully captivate them for long enough, until the much needed payoff takes over and carries a movie to a sturdy finish. The Thirteenth Floor has nothing of the kind.
This is not a bad film, when it comes down to it. The intelligence and creativity are above average for the genre, the actors are competent enough to carry the project... where, pray tell, did it all go wrong? I believe the answer to that lies within the director’s choice to completely ignore the third (and most important) act. The material here would have gone a long way, if the movie was about 30 minutes long.
(C) 1999, Jamey Hughton
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