Lucy Liu in Steven Soderbergh and David Koepp’s “hokey, hackneyed and resounding bore” called Presence. Photo by Peter Andrews/Courtesy of The Spectral Spirit Company

In 1988, I saw a terrific psychological thriller called Apartment Zero that was so fresh, surprising, sexy, suspenseful and original that it has haunted me for decades. It was in a class by itself, with hypnotic early performances by Colin Firth and Hart Bochner and a debut screenplay by a young writer nobody had ever heard of named David Koepp. Around the same time, fledgling newcomer Steven Soderbergh directed an acclaimed low-budget independent drama, Sex, Lies, and Videotape. While neither of these films cleaned up at the box office, they developed important cult followings and launched important careers that skyrocketed their creators to fame and fortune. Mr. Koepp followed Apartment Zero with an unparalleled number of blockbusters, including........

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