Virtuosity (R)

The Internet has been around for so long that it’s almost impossible to remember a time when it wasn’t a part of our everyday lives. Hollywood has likewise reflected this – For statements on scientific advancement, see such movies as “GATTACA“ (1997) and “Jurassic Park” (1993). Global warming warnings show up with movies such as 2004’s “The Day After Tomorrow” and 2009’s “2012.” However, cautionary tales of the Internet are probably the most numerous. For evidence of this, look no further than the plethora of movies on the subject: “Hackers,” “Enemy of the State,” “Swordfish,” “The Matrix,” “Disclosure,” and, of course, 1995’s “The Net.”

Released in 1995, “Virtuosity” is a fairly competent action thriller in this genre starring Denzel Washington (“The Pelican Brief”) and Russell Crowe (“Master and Commander”) as adversaries in a then-modern take on the classic ‘shoot-‘em-up actioner. Denzel plays Parker Barnes, an ex-cop locked in maximum security for the accidental killing of some innocents during a raid on a terrorist’s hideout. Crowe plays Sid 6.7, a genius serial killer created as a virtual reality computer program to help Los Angeles cops train for real-life combat situations. To iron out the kinks, creators of the program are testing it with convicts to ensure the safety of their own officers.

However, things go predictably awry in quick succession: Parker’s partner, Donovan, is killed when Sid ‘reprograms’ the parameters of the computer program. Sid then manages to escape virtual reality with the help of a antisocial computer programmer (Stephen Spinella), who gives him a  android body with which to walk around greater L.A. and do what Sid has long-waited to do: kill for real.

After Sid kills a computer programmer and a family in a posh section of L.A., the Police Department, panicked, turns to the only man who was able to get close to Sid in virtual reality – Parker Barnes – to save the day. He is offered a conditional release from prison, and the chance for emancipation if he catches, kills, or otherwise stops Sid and his homicidal rampage.

“Virtuosity” is a predictable movie and par for the course for the 1990s, which released so many crime thriller/action movies that you’d think the studio had received a special grant to do so. As such, it’s probably fairly easy to pick apart movies like “Virtuosity” as clichéd or otherwise hum-drum in a sea of sameness. However, the movie has a number of things going for it that make it an entertaining and pleasing yarn, including a fairly decent story-line,  believable performances by all involved, and, of course, high-energy action sequences.

One of the most entertaining, for instance, shows Parker chasing Sid through town via automobile, avoiding collision at every turn, ultimately handing the wheel to a cohort (Kelly Lynch), before asking her to hand him the “crowd pleaser” – a pump action automatic shotgun that he commences to fire at Sid through crowded traffic. Parker’s all business, but Sid’s reaction is par for the course for thrillers of this nature “Boy, this guy is fun.”

The sadistic nature of Sid is portrayed very well by Russell Crowe in a role well before such iconic performances ‘Maximus’ in “Gladiator” or Capt. Jack Aubrey in “Master and Commander.” With a composite of 200 some serial killer personalities in his mainframe, Sid’s killings copycat famous killers such as Charles Manson and Ted Bundy, as well as the fictional Matthew Grimes – the political terrorist responsible for murdering Parker’s wife and daughter. The tension it creates when Grimes “oozes to the surface” as Sid faces off against Parker works as well as it does solely because of the chemistry that Crowe and Washington have working together. As Sid becomes more and more vicious, Parker must find a way to stop him at all costs.

In fairness, however, “Virtuosity” is also a bit comic, and requires viewers to check their disbelief at the door to enjoy the movie at all. A virtual reality killer escaping into the real world, pitted against a released convict with one arm made of metal (while explained that Parker’s arm was lost during the attempt to rescue his family that ended in him killing Grimes, the effect makes no sense, and could have been written out of the movie with no loss to the film whatsoever) is a bit droll, even for 90s Hollywood, and causes the film to seem a bit goofy and unfocused.

However, at the end of the day, “Virtuosity” is an action movie, and a form of escapism. There’s something about these types of movies that makes me smile. Perhaps it’s the breakneck action sequences, perhaps it’s the standard one-liners between its heroes and its villains, or perhaps it’s simply the ability to watch a film for 106 minutes and forget about reality and to immerse yourself wholly in the exploits on the screen. Sometimes I feel it’s a lost art, especially in a world of films based on remakes, reboots, and re-imaginings of once iconic movies. “Virtuosity” may not be perfect, but it’s original, and it’s fun, and that may be enough to usher in enjoyment of the film.

Should you watch “Virtuosity” if you haven’t seen it? Probably. We could probably beat up on the film for its plot, its semi-incredible nature, and its sci-fi scope, but there’s not really a good reason to. It features high-energy scenes, humor, suspense, and “Die Hard”-esque action that is often missing from action films today which often take themselves far too seriously for the genre. It features good performances by Crowe, Washington, Lynch, and the always-pleasant William Forsythe.

And if nothing else it’s a lot of fun, which is, after all, why people go to movies in the first place.

– by Mark Ziobro