The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

As a film produced by Emmerich, I’m surprised it was half-decent.

Bierk was really good, but I’d like to see him knock out one more believable performance before i call him a good actor (a guest appearance on “Ally McBeal” won’t cut it). D’Onofrio was really good.

Begins with a Bladerunner storyline (the discovery that people are created, you don’t know who is real). But it soon evolves into a Matrix storyline (you don’t know if the world is real). Then it evolves into a Truman Show storyline (you don’t even know if what you have been brought up believing as the real world is real). Same music, photography, “physical end of the world” theme, and an unknown lead like Dark City. Same “everything is an electronic illusion” theme as The Matrix. Basically, an enormous hack job.

A refreshingly realistic portrayal of 1920’s life.