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The Thirteenth Floor is computer lab where a group of brilliant people has set up a virtual world filled with vibrant fully fleshed out characters populating it.  This virtual world is part simulation of 1937 Los Angeles and part its own place.  The characters go about their "lives" whether or not anyone interacts with them.  They go to work, they have families, everything real people do.  The beauty of the system though is that people can link their minds with one of the characters "jacking" into the simulation and interacting with everything.  The head genius behind this project, Hannon Fuller has found out something dangerous regarding the project and tries to leave a message to his right hand man Douglas Hall. Hannon leaves a letter in the simulation with one of the characters and then shortly afterwards he is killed in the real world.  Now Douglas has to find out why Hannon was murdered not just because they were close friends but also because someone has framed him for the murder, and is trying to shut the project down.

This is an excellent movie.  It has everything: action, intrigue, romance, and mind bending philosophical viewpoints.  The demarcation between the real world and the '37 Los Angeles is astonishing.  The 30's L.A. has a sort of sepia/mono-chrome quality to it as well as including some incredibly beautiful locations and sets.  The characters are vibrant and suitably complex.  The plot is well paced and there is a lot of good mystery to the story as the plot unfolds and the story changes gears seamlessly from one mode into the next.  The acting for the most part was great with good facial expression and emotion.  Some of it was sort of artificial where a lack of strong direction allowed the "let's pretend" feel of the film making come through.  Still it was a great and enjoyable film with some good plot twists (although I admit to stumbling onto the biggie quite by accident) and some excellent visuals.  The science fiction elements were kept to a nice minimum and the special effects while good properly came in second to the story, and the intellectual premises and questions it evokes.

( Thank you for reading my review.
Bob Male)

All ideas, opinions, and information are from the reviewer and are not representative of any company or group involved with the creators and/or staff of the materials being reviewed.