XIII: The Conspiracy (2008– )
"XIII" (original title)

The first female US President Sally Sheridan is shot dead by a sniper during her Veterans Day speech. Her assassin narrowly escapes the scene with his life, national security hot on his ... See full summary »

Stars:

Stephen Dorff, Caterina Murino, Greg Bryk

3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Stephen Dorff	...	Ross Tanner (2 episodes, 2008)
Caterina Murino	...	Sam (2 episodes, 2008)
Greg Bryk	...	Colonel Amos (2 episodes, 2008)
Stephen McHattie	...	General Carrington (2 episodes, 2008)
Lucinda Davis	...	Jones (2 episodes, 2008)
Jonathan Higgins	...	Calvin Wax (2 episodes, 2008)
Ted Atherton	...	Wally Sheridan (2 episodes, 2008)
John Bourgeois	...	President Galbrain (2 episodes, 2008)
Jessalyn Gilsig	...	Kim Rowland (2 episodes, 2008)
Mimi Kuzyk	...	Sally Sheridan (2 episodes, 2008)
Cedric Smith	...	Abe Miller (2 episodes, 2008)
Barbara Gordon	...	Martha Miller (2 episodes, 2008)
Val Kilmer	...	La Mangouste (2 episodes, 2008)
Luke Vitale	...	Agent Standwell (2 episodes, 2008)
Gouchy Boy	...	Malick (2 episodes, 2008)
Todd Sandomirsky	...	Agent Kohn (2 episodes, 2008)
Andrew Jackson	...	Roger Deakins (2 episodes, 2008)
Dan Duran	...	Warren Glass (2 episodes, 2008)
Daniel DeSanto	...	T.A. (2 episodes, 2008)
Matt Baram	...	NSA Coroner (2 episodes, 2008)
Julian Richings	...	Mr. Cody (2 episodes, 2008)
Victoria Goring	...	Bethesda Bystander (2 episodes, 2008)
Hrant Alianak	...	Dr. Kimmler (2 episodes, 2008)
Catherine Swing	...	Debate Moderator (2 episodes, 2008)
Rachelle White Wind Arbez	...	Homeland Security Agent (2 episodes, 2008)
Roland Rothchild	...	Homeland Security Agent (2 episodes, 2008)
Ronn Sarosiak	...	Norman Ryder (2 episodes, 2008)
Nigel Shawn Williams	...	Ellery Shipley (2 episodes, 2008)
Jacqueline Pillon	...	XX (2 episodes, 2008)
Peter James Haworth	...	Jasper Winthrow (2 episodes, 2008)
Patrick Hayes	...	Policier Bethesda (2 episodes, 2008)
J.C. Kenny	...	Journaliste Arlington (2 episodes, 2008)
Donna Skelly	...	Newscaster (2 episodes, 2008)
Scott Wickware	...	Agent McCall (2 episodes, 2008)
Dave Dunham	...	White House Aide (2 episodes, 2008)
Artur Gorishti	...	Cabbie (2 episodes, 2008)
Dan MacDonald	...	Homeland Security Agent (2 episodes, 2008)

Storyline

The first female US President Sally Sheridan is shot dead by a sniper during her Veterans Day speech. Her assassin narrowly escapes the scene with his life, national security hot on his heels - or so it seems. Three months later, an elderly couple discover the body of a wounded man in a tree, wearing a parachute. The young man (Dorff) cannot remember the slightest thing about his own identity. The only clue is a tattoo on his neck, "XIII". Meanwhile, in the Whitehouse, government intelligence is still conducting the search for the President's killer. With the elections just weeks away, a confirmed suspect could swing the vote for the administration. Hours after XIII's location is picked up by covert intelligence, elite special ops forces are swarming the couple's house in Cape Fear. Running on adrenaline and instinct, XIII tactically takes out the soldiers one by one. On the run, clinging to one desperate clue after another, XIII begins to piece back his life, fragments of his memory ...

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Plot Keywords:

man hunt | assassination of president | based on graphic novel | based on comic book | amnesia | 

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Taglines:

Betrayal comes at a price.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

NBC [United States] Official site [France]

Country:

France Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Thirteen: Conspiracy

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prodigy Pictures, Cipango, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min 90 min (DVD) 173 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The name Deacon appears once in each episode, first in the name Roger Deacon, a witness in a police report in episode 1, and then in episode 2 as "Deacon Chemical", one of co-conspirator Jasper Winthrow's companies. Deacon Frost was the name of Stephen Dorff's character from the movie Blade, which is arguably his most well-known role.

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Goofs

The film sets a General Presidential Election four months after President Sheridan is assassinated on Veterans Day, November 11th, circa March. Federal General Elections have been held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November since 1845, set by Act of Congress.

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Connections

Followed by XIII: The Series (2011)

User Reviews

I was hooked throughout

I've been a fan of the comics since I first read them years ago, so I've approached every adaptation I have found with a hope that it would do them justice, and a fear that it wouldn't. And yes, this is similar to the Bourne series, as I understand it, Van Hamme, the author, liked the Ludlum book(s?), and used some of the same ideas. This and the 2003 video game both get certain(but not necessarily the same) things right, whilst failing on others. In tone, this comes fairly close. It's disturbing, dark and, at times, the ideas in this are brutal. The humor in this, while it's relatively limited(and, frankly, doesn't all work, it can feel forced), is perhaps a tad much. The overall accuracy is reasonable, and several changes do make sense. They updated the story to present day(it was, when it was a graphic novel, as well, but the first one came out 14 years ago), and thus also made it more modern, adding tech and such, without that taking over. Several of the characters are changed(a couple are combined, as well) and not all of the casting makes perfect sense(what on Earth happened to Jones? Sure, she looks the part, but that's about it). The plot is interesting and captured and kept my attention throughout. It doesn't develop entirely the same, though a good bit of the core of it is intact. The awesome abilities are definitely still there. Dorff and Kilmer are great. I've heard this compared to the television show 24, and I suppose I can see why. It should be noted that not all of those aspects were foreign to this franchise before this hit small screens. Episode 1 ends in a way that ought to get viewers back for the second half(which starts with repetitions of plenty of what happened in the first one) of the three hour running time. The ending is not going to satisfy everyone, however, the source material taken into account, and the fact that it isn't easy to finish it, especially in this amount of time. The cinematography and editing are excellent, the action is very well-done and exciting. The music is well-done. The production values leave little to be desired. The acting varies, as does the dialog, but there are cool moments in this. This isn't terribly graphically violent, and there's no sex. Still, it is not intended for children, and it doesn't feel like it was made to be less strong. Language is mild and infrequent, if even that. I recommend this to fans of the original(as with any other translation from one medium to another, do not expect everything to be the same), as well as anyone who enjoys this type of film/mini. 7/10