The Thirteenth Floor

THE THIRTEENTH FLOOR (1999) - Mar. 16, 2011
An interesting sci-fi film about the investigation after a man -- the head of a a company that has created a virtual replica of 1938 -- is murderd.  I think the film had the misfortune of coming out at around the same time as the Matrix, which obviously had a similar premise and pretty much destroyed this film.  Featuring above-average direction by Josef Rusnak who, along with cinematographer Wedigo von Schultzendorff, does a pretty great job of evoking a very film noir vibe (it's quite Blade Runner-esque).  They overdo the fog machine a bit, but other than that it's a really nice looking film.  There are some pretty intriguing ideas here, and Rusnak does a great job of keeping things interesting and mysterious throughout.  This is definitely the kind of smart sci-fi that we just don't see enough of these days.  Also, there's a revelation towards the end that I didn't see coming at all -- it was pretty mind-blowing.  My only real complaint is that Craig Bierko seems to be miscast in the main role; he's pretty wooden.  He's fine, I guess, but someone with a bit more charisma would have definitely been nice.  ***1/2