The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

The 2nd 'virtual reality' thriller of the year (following The Matrix), this did not enjoy a fraction of the former's success, probably due to a lack of stars and poor marketing. The main character, Douglas Hall, is played by Craig Bierko, who never became a big star, while Vincent D'Onofrio has a good supporting role. The concept is great: what if we create an alternate reality through our use of computers and all the 'inhabitants' of this computer-reality, despite being just bits of data, consider themselves as real & valid as us? It all goes back to that old saying: I think; therefore, I am. This idea is then refurbished halfway through with a surprise revelation (though experienced film-goers will guess this about a third of the way in). But, somehow, the exciting ideas are not translated well through the story. There is a hum-drum monotonous tone throughout and most of the actors kind of sleepwalk through their roles (Gretchen Mol, especially, is completely lacking in any screen presence). The filmmakers also fail to fully develop the repercussions of these tantalizing, even mind-blowing concepts. After all, this all seems to point to some very dangerous aspects, philosophically, of our ever-growing technology. The dangerous potential is glossed over in the end, as if prepping for a sequel, which looks doubtful now. Armin Mueller-Stahl appears as the originator of the technology. BoG's Score: 6 out of 10
The Trivia Floor:

IMDb wrote:Douglas Hall's house has been seen on film before as the apartment of Detective Deckard in Ridley Scott's 1982 Blade Runner (1982). It's a Frank Lloyd Wright building named Ennis House, located in Los Angeles, CA.