XIII: The Conspiracy is a 2008 television film in two parts, based on the eponymous comic albums series by Belgian authors Jean Van Hamme and William Vance, about an amnesiac protagonist who seeks to discover his concealed past. The film served as a pilot for XIII: The Series, which aired on television in 2011.

The film was directed by Duane Clark, stars Val Kilmer and Stephen Dorff, and was produced by Prodigy Pictures and Cipango Films. It was first broadcast in France in October 2008 by Canal+, followed by NBC in the US in February 2009, by Nine in Australia (as The Conspiracy) in November 2009, and by Five in the United Kingdom in December 2009 (where it was shown as a single feature instead of in two parts).

Plot When the first female president of the United States, Sally Sheridan, (Mimi Kuzyk) is killed by a sniper, her assassin narrowly escapes after a shootout involving a shadowy figure named La Mangouste (Val Kilmer), or "The Mongoose". Three months later in West Virginia, an elderly couple discover an amnesiac young man (Stephen Dorff) wounded in a tree after parachuting from a plane. The only clue to his identity is a tattoo on his chest, "XIII", the Roman numeral for 13.

In the White House, a joint intelligence task force led by Colonel Amos (Greg Bryk) investigates the President's assassination while XIII searches online for information about his tattoo. The NSA traces him to the couple's home, where elite special forces kill the couple. XIII kills the soldiers and escapes to New York, where he befriends Sam (Caterina Murino), a photo shop owner who helps identify Kim (Jessalyn Gilsig), a woman in a photograph he carries.

Rogue Secret Service agents pursue XIII, who is eventually captured by La Mangouste. During his interrogation, La Mangouste reveals that "XIII" is the brand of a conspiracy. XIII escapes and returns to Sam, learning that the design on his chest also refers to secret societies of the Roman Empire. Photos developed by Sam for Kim lead him to Kellownee Valley.

Government intelligence identifies XIII as Steven Rowland and uses the media to intensify the manhunt. XIII is aided by Kim, her father General Carrington (Stephen McHattie), and Jones, a CIA operative. They reveal that he was a special operations agent who underwent facial reconstruction during an undercover mission to expose fascists plotting to overthrow the American government.

La Mangouste captures XIII again and kills Kim. He discovers that XIII has undergone reconstructive surgery and that his military file is classified. Another conspirator, "XIV", attacks XIII, but Jones helps him escape. President Galbrain (John Bourgeois) authorizes Calvin Wax (Jonathan Higgins), the White House Chief of Staff, to take control of the manhunt.

At an NSA safehouse, Carrington reveals that XIII is actually Ross Tanner, who lost his wife and daughter in the sarin gas attacks in Chicago. Carrington also explains that Col. Jack McCall (Scott Wickware) supervised XIII's paramilitary unit, which carried out the foreign attacks, and that the next major attack is planned for the upcoming election.

XIII and Jones travel to a decommissioned facility in northern Montana, where XIII finds McCall in a teleconference with Wax. When confronted, McCall commits suicide before revealing the attack's location. Evidence indicates that a nuclear strike will target a Maryland polling station on election day. Carrington confronts Amos and is arrested for high treason.

XIII and Jones investigate Jasper Winthrow, CEO of Standard Electronics, which owns Stratus Dynamics, a military contractor affected by the former president's plan to reduce America's presence in Iraq. Their investigation leads to a factory in Petersburg, Virginia, where XIII kills La Mangouste and discovers that Bethesda is the target. He arrives in time to stop the bomb from being delivered.

Wally Sheridan, the assassinated president's brother, wins the national election. XIII confronts Wax, who says it is "only the beginning" before killing himself. Carrington is released, and Sheridan publicly reveals the conspiracy and those responsible.

While in Japan, XIII and Jones discover that Ross Tanner's family never existed. They realize that Wally Sheridan had his sister killed to place the Vice President in office, then orchestrated the attacks to undermine confidence in the President and secure his own election, with the ultimate goal of establishing a dictatorship. Realizing they have been deceived, XIII tells Jones, "We're going back."

The XX Number Name PositionI Wally Sheridan President-electII Calvin Wax Chief of StaffIII Ellery Shipley US Secretary of DefenseIV Jasper Winthrow CEO of Standard ElectronicV ??? ???VI ??? ???VII ??? ???VIII ??? ???IX ??? ???X ??? ???XI Jack McCall ColonelXII Mongoose AssassinXIII Steve Rowland Ex-Special Assault and Destroying Sections operativeXIV Agent Kohn Prison Interrogator, Homeland SecurityXV Unnamed Man Tunnel BomberXVI ??? ???XVII Kim Rowland Steve Rowland's widowXVIII ??? ???XIX Unnamed Man Armored Car Driver, Department of EnergyXX Unnamed Woman U.S. Customs Official

Cast

Broadcasters Country Broadcaster Date France Canal + October 6–13, 2008 United States NBC February 8–15, 2009 Australia Nine Network November 1–8, 2009 United Kingdom Five December 27, 2009 Austria ATV January 15, 2010 Spain Antena 3 April 1, 2010 Germany 13th Street April 16–18, 2010 South Africa SABC 3 August 29 – September 5, 2010 Canada Showcase 2010 Bulgaria AXN (subtitles)bTV (dubbed) April 4–5, 2010April 16–17, 2011 Netherlands BNNRTL 7 June 9–10, 2011July 8, 2014 Belgium VT4 December 22–29, 2011 Thailand Channel 7 January 11–12, 2012 China HBO Asia February 2012 India HBO India Hungary RTL Klub February 2, 2012 Indonesia 2015

Reception At Metacritic, the miniseries has a weighted average score of 44 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Its best reviews came from The Hollywood Reporter, who said "All in all, this isn't a half-bad political thriller".TV Review: XIII, The Hollywood Reporter, by Ray Richmond On the other side, USA Today said "Poorly cast and performed (including an embarrassing turn by Val Kilmer), XIII is shot so murkily and staged so badly, you can hardly tell where people are, let alone where they're going".'XIII' isn't unlucky, it's just bad USA Today, By Robert Bianco

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