Virtuosity (1995)

Director:

Brett Leonard

Writer (WGA):

Eric Bernt (written by)

Release Date:

4 August 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Justice needs a new program

Plot:

A virtual-reality serial killer manages to escape into the real world.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Virtual Reality | Android | Ex Cop | Male Nudity

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Lt. Parker Barnes
Kelly Lynch	...	Madison Carter
Russell Crowe	...	SID 6.7
Stephen Spinella	...	Lindenmeyer
William Forsythe	...	William Cochran
Louise Fletcher	...	Elizabeth Deane
William Fichtner	...	Wallace
Costas Mandylor	...	John Donovan
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Clyde Reilly
Kaley Cuoco	...	Karin
Christopher Murray	...	Matthew Grimes
Heidi Schanz	...	Sheila 3.2
Traci Lords	...	Media Zone Singer
Gordon Jennison Noice	...	Big Red (as J. Gordon Noice)
Mari Morrow	...	Linda Barnes

MPAA:

Rated R for strong futuristic violence, some brutal beatings and some language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 (cut) | Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:R-18 | New Zealand:R16 | France:-12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:14 | Denmark:16 | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #33489) | Canada:AA (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Hollywood Forever Cemetery - 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Kaley Cuoco's film debut.

Goofs:

Continuity: SID tests his pain response by cutting the tip of his finger off. When he raises his hand to taste his "blood", the entire finger is gone.

Quotes:

Hologram Head: While officers gather evidence of the grisly crime scene, you can only ask yourselves, "What kind of lunatic would commit such unthinkable crimes?" The three adjectives which best describe this killer are sadistic, intelligent and dangerous.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)

Soundtrack:

Stayin' Alive

To think that this was so close to having something to say

It's not difficult to tell that this was directed by the same guy as The Lawnmower man was. VR hits the big screen... uh, again. And it's about equally as painful as last time, meaning, it's got moments. It looks better this time around, if the effects today are fairly dated. If all you're looking for is a decent action flick with CGI and high tempo rock/techno beats pumping, look no further. This is fun enough. For me, however, there aren't enough excellent films out there to justify wasting such potential as this. I mean, really, if this was handled at least a little better, it could truly provide food for thought and provoke, especially if the mainstream approach of this was kept somewhat intact. But the point of our attraction to violence is muddled when this begins to be gratuitous, graphic and brutal in its depiction of such, and this never seems to dare tricking the audience into thinking that what they're looking at is the reality of the flick and not a simulation, as it's simply always obvious, so that philosophical topic remains basically untouched here, as well. The plot is fine, if fairly predictable. A serial killer program escapes the computer into a human-looking body consisting of nanites, and a former cop is sent to get him. The acting is pretty good, mostly. Washington is less great than usual. Crowe hams it up like a Schumacher Batman villain. The cinematography and editing are standard. Apart from what I've already mentioned, this has infrequent strong language and disturbing content. The DVD comes with a theatrical trailer. I recommend this to those merely searching for something that's reasonably entertaining. 6/10