XIII
1st Golden Reel Awards
1 Nomination
Genre: Action
Director: DJ Caruso
Writer: Mark Newton
Based on the comic series by Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance
Cast:
Taylor Kitsch .... XIII
Bruce Willis .... Colonel Amos
Mark Strong .... Mongoose
January Jones .... Kim Rowland
Michael Douglas .... General Carrington
Nicole Beharie .... Major Lauren Jones
Denis Leary .... Walter Sheridan
Colm Feore .... Carl Heideger
Robert Patrick .... Judge Allenby
Lambert Wilson .... Marquis de Préseau
Plot: A man (Taylor Kitsch) awakens, finding himself washed ashore and suffering from amnesia. The only links to his past are a tattoo of the Roman numerals "XIII" on his collarbone and a photo of himself with a woman, Kim Rowland (January Jones), widow of U.S. Army captain Steve Rowland. As "XIII" begins trying to figure out who he is, he finds himself hunted by a contract killer, the "Mongoose" (Mark Strong), who works for a mysterious organization known as XX, which aims to mount a coup d'état against the U.S. government. XIII is rescued from XX's assassins by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Colonel Amos (Bruce Willis), who confronts XIII with video evidence that shows XIII assassinating the President.
XIII is captured by General Carrington (Michael Douglas), who confirms that XIII is Steve Rowland. Carrington further explains that Rowland was a member of a special ops unit called SPADS (Special Assault and Destroying Sections). Carrington had been commander of SPADS when Rowland was supposedly killed in a helicopter crash two years earlier. Because XIII's amnesia prevents him from identifying who sponsored the President's assassination, Amos lets him go. XIII escapes the police with Carrington's help and meets Kim, an XX member known as "XVII", who reveals that XIII is not Steve Rowland. XIII is arrested by the police, and Kim disappears. XIII is found guilty for the murder of the Rowlands and sent to a maximum security prison.
Due to his amnesia, XIII ends up being sent to a section of the prison for the criminally insane. Amos, still pursuing his investigation, realizes that XIII was a body double for the real Steve Rowland. Amos requests Carrington's help to identify people who have been trained as top-level special operators and match XIII's physique. Amos' plans to use this information to discover XIII's true identity. Carrington provides the papers of about twenty people. One named Ross Tanner has been missing for two years. Amos decides to leave XIII in prison to have his amnesia treated. The treatment fails, and the Mongoose tries to have XIII killed in the prison, but he fails, and Carrington and Major Lauren Jones (Joy Bryant) help XIII break out.
Amos finds out that Carrington had invented the Tanner identity and suspects him of being part of the conspiracy to kill the President. XIII, under the name of Ross Tanner, has been hidden by Carrington in a SPADS training facility on the island of San Miguel. Amos continues to delve into the files and learns that Steve Rowland was murdered shortly after the assassination. Amos now assumes that Rowland was the real assassin, and is confused about XIII's real role, but he exposes Judge Allenby (Robert Patrick), the head of the investigation, as one of the conspirators. Amos interrogates Allenby, who is killed by Mongoose's assassin. Amos himself is rescued by Kim Rowland.
Kim Rowland takes Amos to intelligence chief Carl Heideger (Colm Feore) and General Carrington, who reveal that, after faking his death in the helicopter crash, Steve Rowland contacted his wife, Kim, and forced her to be a member of the conspiracy. Kim, not sharing the conspiracy's ideology, and herself a former secret agent, secretly alerted her former boss, Heideger. Despite having this information, however, Heideger was unable to prevent the assassination of President Sheridan. Steve Rowland was shot by the Mongoose, but he escaped badly-wounded and died shortly after telling Kim what had happened. Heideger and Carrington then came up with a plan to make the XX organization believe that Steve Rowland had survived, hoping to attract the Mongoose's killers, arrest them, and follow their trail to the conspirators. They sourced a man named Jason Fly who was transformed into a Steve Rowland double, but soon after, Fly disappeared, when he was shot and lost his memory. Kim Rowland is also revealed to be Carrington's daughter.
XIII and Jones kidnap the Marquis de Préseau (Lambert Wilson), a rich French land owner in San Miguel, to steal his jet to fly back to the US. Meanwhile, Carrington and Heideger have been arrested by the conspirators as they prepare to take over the country during a large-scale military exercise. XIII and the women meet with Colonel Amos, who brings them into contact with Walter Sheridan (Denis Leary), brother of the assassinated President William Sheridan and himself a candidate for presidency.
Sheridan helps XIII infiltrate the military center of operations, and they manage to stop the conspiracy at the last moment. The entire conspiracy group, with the exception of the illustrious Number I, has been either killed or captured. Walter Sheridan is elected President, and Kim Rowland remains missing for reasons unknown. XIII believes he has found his old identity as Jason Fly and is prepared to continue his life normally, even if his memories have not yet returned.
1 Nomination
- Best Production Design
Genre: Action
Director: DJ Caruso
Writer: Mark Newton
Based on the comic series by Jean Van Hamme and artist William Vance
Cast:
Taylor Kitsch .... XIII
Bruce Willis .... Colonel Amos
Mark Strong .... Mongoose
January Jones .... Kim Rowland
Michael Douglas .... General Carrington
Nicole Beharie .... Major Lauren Jones
Denis Leary .... Walter Sheridan
Colm Feore .... Carl Heideger
Robert Patrick .... Judge Allenby
Lambert Wilson .... Marquis de Préseau
Plot: A man (Taylor Kitsch) awakens, finding himself washed ashore and suffering from amnesia. The only links to his past are a tattoo of the Roman numerals "XIII" on his collarbone and a photo of himself with a woman, Kim Rowland (January Jones), widow of U.S. Army captain Steve Rowland. As "XIII" begins trying to figure out who he is, he finds himself hunted by a contract killer, the "Mongoose" (Mark Strong), who works for a mysterious organization known as XX, which aims to mount a coup d'état against the U.S. government. XIII is rescued from XX's assassins by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Colonel Amos (Bruce Willis), who confronts XIII with video evidence that shows XIII assassinating the President.
XIII is captured by General Carrington (Michael Douglas), who confirms that XIII is Steve Rowland. Carrington further explains that Rowland was a member of a special ops unit called SPADS (Special Assault and Destroying Sections). Carrington had been commander of SPADS when Rowland was supposedly killed in a helicopter crash two years earlier. Because XIII's amnesia prevents him from identifying who sponsored the President's assassination, Amos lets him go. XIII escapes the police with Carrington's help and meets Kim, an XX member known as "XVII", who reveals that XIII is not Steve Rowland. XIII is arrested by the police, and Kim disappears. XIII is found guilty for the murder of the Rowlands and sent to a maximum security prison.
Due to his amnesia, XIII ends up being sent to a section of the prison for the criminally insane. Amos, still pursuing his investigation, realizes that XIII was a body double for the real Steve Rowland. Amos requests Carrington's help to identify people who have been trained as top-level special operators and match XIII's physique. Amos' plans to use this information to discover XIII's true identity. Carrington provides the papers of about twenty people. One named Ross Tanner has been missing for two years. Amos decides to leave XIII in prison to have his amnesia treated. The treatment fails, and the Mongoose tries to have XIII killed in the prison, but he fails, and Carrington and Major Lauren Jones (Joy Bryant) help XIII break out.
Amos finds out that Carrington had invented the Tanner identity and suspects him of being part of the conspiracy to kill the President. XIII, under the name of Ross Tanner, has been hidden by Carrington in a SPADS training facility on the island of San Miguel. Amos continues to delve into the files and learns that Steve Rowland was murdered shortly after the assassination. Amos now assumes that Rowland was the real assassin, and is confused about XIII's real role, but he exposes Judge Allenby (Robert Patrick), the head of the investigation, as one of the conspirators. Amos interrogates Allenby, who is killed by Mongoose's assassin. Amos himself is rescued by Kim Rowland.
Kim Rowland takes Amos to intelligence chief Carl Heideger (Colm Feore) and General Carrington, who reveal that, after faking his death in the helicopter crash, Steve Rowland contacted his wife, Kim, and forced her to be a member of the conspiracy. Kim, not sharing the conspiracy's ideology, and herself a former secret agent, secretly alerted her former boss, Heideger. Despite having this information, however, Heideger was unable to prevent the assassination of President Sheridan. Steve Rowland was shot by the Mongoose, but he escaped badly-wounded and died shortly after telling Kim what had happened. Heideger and Carrington then came up with a plan to make the XX organization believe that Steve Rowland had survived, hoping to attract the Mongoose's killers, arrest them, and follow their trail to the conspirators. They sourced a man named Jason Fly who was transformed into a Steve Rowland double, but soon after, Fly disappeared, when he was shot and lost his memory. Kim Rowland is also revealed to be Carrington's daughter.
XIII and Jones kidnap the Marquis de Préseau (Lambert Wilson), a rich French land owner in San Miguel, to steal his jet to fly back to the US. Meanwhile, Carrington and Heideger have been arrested by the conspirators as they prepare to take over the country during a large-scale military exercise. XIII and the women meet with Colonel Amos, who brings them into contact with Walter Sheridan (Denis Leary), brother of the assassinated President William Sheridan and himself a candidate for presidency.
Sheridan helps XIII infiltrate the military center of operations, and they manage to stop the conspiracy at the last moment. The entire conspiracy group, with the exception of the illustrious Number I, has been either killed or captured. Walter Sheridan is elected President, and Kim Rowland remains missing for reasons unknown. XIII believes he has found his old identity as Jason Fly and is prepared to continue his life normally, even if his memories have not yet returned.
BOX OFFICE
Budget: $99,000,000
Domestic Box Office: $107,951,048
Foreign Box Office: $95,473,008
Total Profit: $74,842,915
Domestic Box Office: $107,951,048
Foreign Box Office: $95,473,008
Total Profit: $74,842,915
REVIEWS
"I imagine that there is some sort of mathematical correctness to the plot, but as a viewing experience it is vague, confusing and preposterous to the point that by the time all was revealed--or nearly all, since the film ends on somewhat of an unresolved note, no doubt leaving the door open for a sequel--I had long ceased to care." - Mark Gilbert, Boston Globe
"While the set-up is highly derivative of the Bourne series, once the action gets going and our unnamed hero gets embroiled in the conspiracy, it forges its own over-the-top identity." - Clark Davis, JoBlo.com
"The cast led by the super capable Taylor Kitsch try their hardest to make something of their characters, but it's a hollow piece of work, with only a tad more character and spirit than a video game." - Paul Onkean, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Rated PG-13 for intense violence and some language.
Filming Locations:
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Montreal, Quebec, Canada