The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

Director: Josef Rusnak
Producers: Roland Emmerich, Ute Emmerich, Marco Weber
Screenplay: Josef Rusnak & Ravel Centeno-Rodriguez based on the novel "Simulacron 3" by Daniel F. Galouye
Cinematography: Wedigo von Schultzendorff
Music: Harald Kloser
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures

United States/Germany, 1999
U.S. Release Date: 5/28/99 (wide)
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: R (profanity, violence)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1

Douglas Hall, John Ferguson, David:  Craig Bierko

Hannon Fuller, Grierson: Armin Mueller-Stahl

Jane Fuller, Natasha Molinaro:  Gretchen Mol

Whitney, Ashton:  Vincent D’Onofrio

Detective Larry McBain:  Dennis Haysbert

Scenes of Interest:

(Timing marks in minutes and seconds.)

Fly through high rises…  (12:17)

Hall:  This was Fuller’s personal apartment.

McBain:  You could be home already…

Hall:  What?

McBain:  I see these little signs every time I leave work, “You could be home already: apartment living in downtown.”  Never expected it could look anything like this.

Hall:  This company was Fuller’s life; he lived here and he worked here.

McBain:  So what exactly do you people do here?

Hall:  I don’t think you’d find that very interesting.

McBain:  Oh, I’m paid to be interested.  (12:48)

Hall:  Computer research.  Fuller was on to a whole new frontier.  Very sensitive material.  I’m really not at liberty to discuss it.

McBain:  Lot of money involved, no doubt?  (13:07)  Now this apartment has to be worth what, a few million dollars?

Hall:  One of the perks of the job.

Attention turns to Jane Fuller who is standing in the bedroom…

McBain:  Oh, this job has a whole lot of perks.  (13.15)

Hall:  Can I help you?  (13:30)

Fuller:  I just talked to him two days ago…  I can’t believe he’s gone…  My name is Jane Fuller.  Hannon was my father…

Hall:  I’m sorry.  I’m Douglas Hall.

Fuller:  You were the one he always wanted me to meet.

Hall:  Really?  He never mentioned to me that he had a daughter.

Fuller:  He didn’t?  I just arrived from Paris this morning.  I was supposed to meet him…  But then I heard.

McBain:  My condolences Miss Fuller.  I’m Detective McBain, LADP.  I have to ask you some questions.

Fuller:  Of course.

McBain:  Would you excuse us Mr. Hall?

Hall:  Huh?  Sure.  Yeah…  (Turns to Jane Fuller)  Have we ever met before?  (14:46)

Fuller:  No, that’s not possible.

Hall:  You look… very familiar.  Nice to meet you Miss Fuller.

Cut to “13^th Floor” elevator button.  Cut to up/down elevator lights.  (15:07)  Long silent transition to next scene…

Preceding Scene: 

Douglas Hall:  John, I need the number of that cab company.

John:  No need sir.  She went to the Omni Hotel.

(Douglas Hall drives off in his Porsche.)

0:00

Whitney: 

(Responding to a tap on his shoulder.)  Doug?

Detective Larry McBain: 

(Introduces himself.)  Detective McBain.  Sorry to disappoint you.

Whitney: 

(I’ll) go find Doug for you.

Detective Larry McBain: 

Actually it was you I wanted to have a few words with.

Whitney: 

What for?

Detective Larry McBain: 

Well, you want me to catch the guy who killed your boss, don’t you?

Whitney: 

(Of) course.

Detective Larry McBain: 

So the whole thing’s what, a giant computer game?  0:30

Whitney: 

No, not at all.  It doesn’t need a user to interact with it to function.  It’s units are fully formed, self-learning cyberbeings. 

Detective Larry McBain: 

Units?

Whitney: 

Yeah, electronic simulated characters.  They populate the system.  They think, they work, they eat…

Detective Larry McBain: 

They fuck?

Whitney: 

Well let’s just say that they’re modeled after us.  Right now we have a working prototype: Los Angeles circa 1937. 

Detective Larry McBain: 

Why ’37?

Whitney: 

Fuller wanted to start by recreating the era of his youth. 1:00 You see, while my mind is jacked in, I’m walking around experiencing 1937, my body stays here and kind’ a holds the consciousness of the program link unit.

Detective Larry McBain: 

You think one of them units crawled up an extension cord and killed its maker?  1:30

0:00

Ashton: 

You looking for anything special?  (Cocks gun.)  What are you?  Huh?

Douglas Hall:

My name is Ferguson, I’m a bank teller.

Ashton: 

I’m Clark Gable…  I talked to the Ferguson guy.  I followed him back to his bank.  He doesn’t know a thing.  I need to talk to Fuller.

Douglas Hall:

He’s upstairs.

Ashton: 

Cut the crap.  You think I don’t know what’s going on?  I need to see him.  I need to talk to him again.  0:30

Douglas Hall:

You read the letter.  I need to know what’s in that letter.

Ashton: 

Everything...  You know when I first read it I thought it was a gag.  You know the world’s a sham.  Fat chance!  But I’m not stupid Mr. Hall.  I watched you and Ferguson do the old switch-er-oo.  And all that stuff about going to the ends of the Earth?

Douglas Hall:

What stuff about the ends of the Earth?

Ashton: 

I did exactly what the letter said.  I chose a place that I’d never go to.  I tried to drive to Tucson.  1:00  I figured, what the Hell, I’ve never been to the countryside.  When I took that car out on the highway I was going over 50 through that desert.  After a while I was the only car on the road.  There was just me and the heat and the dust.  And I did exactly what that letter said, “don’t follow any road signs and don’t stop for anything, not even barricades.”  1:30  But just when I should have been getting closer to the city, something wasn’t right.  There was no movement, no life.  Everything was still and quiet.  And then I got out of the car, and what I saw scared me to the depths of my miserable soul.  It was true.  It was all a sham.  2:00  It ain’t real.

Douglas Hall:

Why would Fuller write to me about the limitations of the simulation?  I know the limitations.

Ashton: 

I’m asking the questions now!  I want to know why?  Why would you put us through this?  Why you fucking with our minds?

Douglas Hall:

You weren’t supposed to find out.

Ashton: 

Well, I did.  And now I want you to show me what IS real.  (Laughs.)  2:30  Is this real?  (Shoots Fuller in the shoulder.)

0:00

(On the telephone.  Phone rings.)

Jane Fuller:

Douglas?

Douglas Hall:

Yeah.

Jane Fuller:

Look, I can explain, I’m sorry.  I need to see you.  Meet me in Fuller’s office.

Douglas Hall:

I know the truth.

Jane Fuller:

Where are you?

Douglas Hall:

You could call it the end of the world…

(In Fuller’s office.)  0:30

Douglas Hall:

How many simulated worlds like this are there?

Jane Fuller:

Thousands.  But yours is the only one that ever created a simulation within the simulation:  something that we never could have expected.

Douglas Hall:

So you had to kill Fuller?

No, I was sent in after his death.  1:00  I was to assume the identity of his daughter, inherit the company, and shut it down.  But he tricked us.  He changed his will.

Douglas Hall:

If you didn’t kill Fuller, who did?

(He slowly realizes that he did.)  1:30  I stabbed him, and…

Jane Fuller:

But it wasn’t you, it was your user.  He downloaded into you, manipulated you…

Douglas Hall:

A puppet!

Jane Fuller:

A puppet doesn’t have a soul.

Douglas Hall:

I can’t have a soul any more than Fuller.

Jane Fuller:

But you do.  Fuller did.  That’s what I never expected.  We programmed this world so that no one in it could ever learn the truth and you and Fuller did.  2:00  Don’t you see what that means?

Douglas Hall:

Yeah.  There’s just one little flaw in your thesis…  None of this is real.  You pull the plug - I disappear.  And nothing I ever say, nothing I ever do, will ever matter.  2:30  Why don’t you find my user?  I’m sure he’s a much better catch…

Jane Fuller:

I told you about my other life.  I was referring to my husband.  He’s your user.  3:00  He killed Fuller.

Douglas Hall:

I’m his program link…  The reflection of his character profile.

Jane Fuller:

I fell in love with a decent man.  But he, something happened to him.  He began to use the simulation as his own personal playground. 

Douglas Hall:

Like Fuller with the girls.  3:30

Jane Fuller:

He made himself a god and it corrupted him.  He began to enjoy the killings.  He became abusive.

Douglas Hall:

What do you mean?

Jane Fuller:

He said he would kill me.

Douglas Hall:

Why?

Jane Fuller:

I fell in love with you.

Douglas Hall:

You don’t even know me.  4:00

Jane Fuller:

Yes I do.  From the moment this simulation was created, I’ve watched you, (your) kindness, your integrity.  I fell in love with you before I even met you.   

Douglas Hall:

How can you love me?  I’m not even real.  4:30  You can’t fall in love with a dream…

Jane Fuller:

You’re more real to me than anything I’ve ever known.

(They kiss.)  5:00

0:00

(Ashton is watching images on multiple monitors.)

Douglas Hall:

Hey Whitney.  Hey you doing?

Ashton:

All these pictures, this is your world?  0:30

Douglas Hall:

Ashton?

Ashton:

 (Sarcastically kisses in Douglas’ direction.)  I never imagined it could be so beautiful.

Douglas Hall:

How’d you do it?

Ashton:

I was hoping you’d know.  Last thing I remember I was dumpin’ Ferguson in the trunk.

Douglas Hall:

Son of a bitch.  He did it.  He jacked in.  1:00

Ashton:

Huh?   Who’s Jack?  (Douglas pulls the plug.)  Hey, what did you do to the world?

Douglas Hall: (In disgust.)  Turned it off.

Ashton:

Well put it back!  Hey!  Don’t do that.  What do you expect?  What did I do?  Hey?  1:30  (Sings tauntingly.)  Where are you?  (Looks out of window.)  Oh look at this.  You are really a god.

Douglas Hall:

No Ashton, I’m not really a god.  I’m just like you.  2:00  Just a bunch of electricity. 

Ashton:

What are you talking about?

Douglas Hall:

It’s all smoke and mirrors, just like your world, Ashton.  We’re nothing but a simulation on some computer. 

Ashton:

What?

Douglas Hall:

It’s like a machine.  Like this arcade game over here.  You’ve got your players, and you put your nickel in.  This one pitches, this one runs around the bases.  2:30  You’ve got a bat.  You’ve got a ball.  You play this (unintelligible).  All following preprogrammed movements generated by electrical energy.  Of course, we’ve improved on this model since then.  Now the players can beat the shit out of and try to drown one another which is always fun. 

Ashton:

But the, the letter, it said…

Douglas Hall:

”Everything is fake?”  Right?

Ashton:

Yes…

Douglas Hall:

The letter was meant for me.  Fuller was talking about my world.

Ashton:

So what are you saying?  3:00  You saying that there’s a, another world on top of this one?

Douglas Hall:

That’s right.

Ashton:

Right?  I don’t understand.

Douglas Hall:

Fuller found out about it, and they killed him.

Ashton:

Then why didn’t they kill you?

Douglas Hall:

Maybe they will.  Maybe that’s why you’re pointing a gun at me right now.  Sorry Ashton, we’re stuck here, you and me, (and) the rest of us.  3:30

Ashton:

I want to see it.

Douglas Hall:

See what?

Ashton:

My arcade game.

(They take the elevator to the 13^th floor.  David downloads into Douglas.)  4:00

Ashton:

It’s breathing…  So this is where I was born?

David:

And this is where you die.  (David shoots Ashton.)