Horror Movie Review: The Tower (1993)

Directed by Richard Kletterm who co-wrote the story with John Riley, The Tower is a bit of a hidden gem that combines dystopian sci-fi elements with a thriller tone, and light touches of horror.

Paul Reiser plays Tony Minot, a smart-arse musician struggling to pay the rent. He gets a job in an office block that is controlled by an all-seeing security system that is as futuristic as early 90’s imaginations could manage.

Tony struggles to get his head around the demands of the system, repeatedly getting security violations as he attempts to circumvent what he sees as unnecessary obstacles. These security violations might seem unimportant at first, but the more he gets, the more system starts to see him as a threat.

Forced by the boss to work late, hating the corporate lifestyle, and missing out on a date, Tony’s night isn’t what he imagined it. He just wants to get the work done and get out, as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Which doesn’t gel with a security system already suspicious of him. Those security violations are going to come back and bite Tony in the ass as the system finally decides he has to be terminated. Can his co-worker Linda (Susan Norman) help him escape The Tower?

The Tower is a lot of fun, even if it’s incredibly dated. That’s not even just by today’s standards either. A lot of these effects, green-screen effects, were looking ropey by the mid-90s. It makes up for those short-comings through a captivating location that feels cold and isolating, but modern and sleek at the same time.

The actual tower itself is something very believable. As is the advanced security system that gets more and more psychotic as the movie progresses. Something that Paul Reiser has a lot of fun playing off against.

It’s hard to see this man as anything but a villain thanks to his infamous role in Aliens but here, he is charming, witty, and funny to watch. He certainly seems to relish the role and throws a lot of energy into his performance.

You can tell that everyone involved wanted to make The Tower pretty special. It doesn’t quite pay off, but it does result in a 90’s hidden gem.