the good
There were so many good things about this movie that it's difficult to know where to start.  First and foremost are the premise and the plot.   The premise is an interesting and original one -- thousands of simulated worlds, including ours, have been created and modeled after a real world by real people.  And the plot unfolds in a gradual and suspenseful manner, teasing the viewer with a succession of clues that hint at a grander scheme that isn't revealed until near the very end.   It is this succession of clues -- from Fuller recognizing his killer, to Hall discovering his bloody shirt, to Fuller's phone call to Hall, to Hall finding out about the revealing letter in the computer simulated world, to the mysterious appearance of Jane Fuller, and to Hall's revelation that our own world is a simulation as he stares at an incomplete virtual landscape -- that keeps the viewer's interest.  The acting is exceptional all around, especially considering that Craig Bierko, Vincent D'Onofrio and Gretchen Mol had to play dual roles and pulled it off wonderfully.  A special mention goes to Vincent D'Onofrio, whose two roles included a timid and nervous computer programmer and a ruthless and paranoid bartender.  These dual roles richly added to the tension of the film as it delved deeper into the story.  The transition from one character to the other was a great vehicle for suspense.  This occurred in the form of a character "jacking into", or taking over the consciousness of  that character's alternate persona in the computer simulation.  As the person jacks in, the eyes of the target character were given a cool hypnotic swirling effect to indicate the exact instant of consciousness transfer (see the "memorable moments" section below for more on this).  The ending made clever use of this transfer, explaining earlier in the film that if a person is jacked in to the computer simulation and their computer character dies, then the consciousness of the computer character stays with the body in the real world.  This allowed Douglas Hall to permanently escape the computer simulation and become a part of the real world with Jane Fuller.  One of the more clever twists (just one of many) occurred when the bartender in the simulation, Whitney's alternate persona (played by Vincent D'Onofrio), made the accidental discovery that his world is just a computer simulation.

the bad
As you can see from the sheer size of "the good" section, there is very little in this film that can be placed in this section.   My only real complaint is that the movie started off somewhat slowly.  With the exception of the murder of Hannon Fuller, the intensity of the film didn't kick in until Hall entered the computer simulation for the first time.  Some people might also complain about the lack of action in this movie.  It's true that there is very little action to speak of, but I don't necessarily consider this to be a bad thing.   The reason why is a simple one -- this is not an action film.  "The Thirteenth Floor" is essentially a murder/mystery with a science fiction/techno twist.  It's more cerebral than the typical summer movie fare, making it a refreshing change of pace amidst a sea of blockbuster effects movies -- not that there's anything wrong with blockbuster effects movies!

memorable moments
With most action movies like "ID4", "Stargate" and "Godzilla", it's relatively easy to come up with several memorable moments.  But with a movie like "The Thirteenth Floor", which is essentially a murder/mystery, it's a little tougher to come up with some.   But there were a few.  The most memorable moment, due to its immense impact on the plot, was the scene where Douglas Hall drives through the barricade, gets out of his car and sees the incomplete virtual landscape in the distance.  This is the defining moment of the film, where Hall confirms his suspicions that our world as we know it is simply a computer simulation of another.  His revelation changed the entire tone of the movie.  There were two scenes that finely displayed the ruthless nature of Hall's user, Jane Fuller's husband in the real world.  The first one was during the elevator ride up to the 13th floor where Hall and the bartender are in the elevator at the same time -- a seemingly routine transition scene.  Suddenly, Hall's eyes become a hypnotic swirl, indicating that somebody else has jacked into his consciousness.   After the consciousness transfer, a wicked grin forms on his face, effectively heightening the tension of the seemingly harmless elevator ride.  Each time that these consciousness transfers occur, as indicated by the eyes, the all-important cool factor of the film is elevated just a little bit more.  The second scene that displays the ruthless nature of Hall's user occurs after Hall and the bartender exit the elevator and enter the room full of computer banks that house the simulation of 1937 Los Angeles.  The bartender is overwhelmed by the spiritual rush of being in the place of his creation, exclaiming, "So this is where I was born."  Hall's user coolly raises his gun and fires a single shot through the bartender's chest.   "And this is where you die," Hall's user calmly states without a hint of remorse.  Classic bad guy.

Special effects courtesy of the "Relax" video by
Frankie Goes To Hollywood...


Craig Bierko insisting that he doesn't want to
go for a swim...


Gretchen Mol and Craig Bierko share a tender moment...


"13th Floor is going to be released the week after
'Star Wars'?  Are they kidding?"


Armin Mueller-Stahl gettin' jiggy wit' the ladies...


Craig Bierko suddenly becomes a suspect...


Craig Bierko somehow manages to impress the casting director even after spontaneously performing his script-reading as though it were a western movie...


Vincent D'Onofrio voguing...


Gretchen Mol mysteriously appears...


Virtual Los Angeles, 1937...


Back to reality -- or is it?


Craig Bierko admiring the creation that he helped
make a "reality"...

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