Virtuosity (1995)
Director: Brett Leonard
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Kelly Lynch, William Forsythe
Primary genre: Science fiction
Secondary genre: Action
Science fiction film tend to put themselves in a corner because of how their envisioned the future something that does not happen when you think about it in other genres. What might have looked very cool and slick at the time of release, would end up dangerously outdated in a couple of years for several reasons; wrongfully predicting societal structures, idiotic technological advances, lame fashion trends and pseudo scientific linguistics. Only a handful flicks endure the criticism of time and intellectual scrutiny. Blade Runner (1982), Total Recall (1990), Escape from L.A. (1996), The Matrix (1999), and Demolition Man (1993) have aged wonderfully and those who employ a contemporary lens can excavate plenty of things to talk about and enjoy. Even their visuals are notoriously inspired remain a point of reference for many filmmakers, game directors and concept artists.
This is not the case though for Brett Leonard’s Virtuosity. Along with several 1995 net/cyberpunk films (excluding Ghost in the Shell) such as The Net, Tank Girl, and Johnny Mnemonic, Virtuosity aims to dazzle people with its computer graphics, computer layouts, and ear-catching terminology. However, it is so grounded in the mid-90s that it can’t even make up for a fun viewing. If you ignore the lame special effects, subpar action, and all those hilariously dated references, it is very hard to have a good time with it.
“Just because I’m carrying around the joy of killing your family inside me doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
The action is banal at best, the acting borderline subpar, and the plot holes bigger than the Grand Canyon itself. Brett Leonard stages a few skirmishes between Denzel Washington’s tortured cop and the psychopathic program that is Russell Crowe but these are undermined by lame action staging and Crowe’s own OTT performance, a relatively capable actor who clearly has no direction denigrating himself into a parody of a villain. This is the guy who gave us the cinematic equivalent of Jeffrey Wigand (his best performance to date) in Michael Mann’s masterpiece The Insider (1999). Yet, there is not a single spec of that acting caliber here.
The always reliable Denzel sleepwalks through a role which he can play in his sleep and the rest of the talented cast are so unforgivingly blunt you end up wondering why everyone behind and in front of the camera bothered to participate in this monstrosity in the first place. Virtuosity tries to shock with its violence but considering how much more visually stimulating or action exciting other films where in the same year, it looks like a cheap and Kitschy knock off. Compare it against Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever or Paul WS Anderson’s less costly Mortal Kombat and see which ones stand triumphant.
If VR-related movies were supposed to open up a realm of possibilities, Brett Leonard’s film does the polar opposite. Its limited scope and lack of genuine imagination is surprising if you take into account its subject matter which could have explored how the human psyche fares against artificially enhanced personalities. Yet, it is neither entertaining, or exciting, or even so-bad-its-good. It is just plain bad and cringe - like its rushed and finale. Avoid.
Lord have mercy
+Denzel is always good
+Interesting premise
-Terrible execution
-Crowe is awful
-Outdated in every aspect
-Lame special effects
-Kitsch