User reviews

Virtuosity is by no means a great movie or a good movie. It is barely above average. That though is because of Russell Crowe's character: SID 6.7 who possesses over 150 serial killer personalities. He is just supposed to be used to train police but he escapes from his virtual reality to the reality. That sounds pretty interesting and this premise could be taken into many different directions especially since he is such a complex character you could go so many different way going about to make this film. Though this movie did not take the worst direction it did not take the best one. This movie went for pure action and no real drama or meaningful message. Now that is OK but it lacked in doing this because of the: The directing which was average by Brett Leonard. He made this into a very exciting TV movie which it is not. He had two very talented actors in Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe yet he was not able to generate the excitement and fast pace feeling that is needed to make a good action movie.

The writing is also at fault too. The writing was not great here. It seemed to have a lot of overused themes such as the cop trying to retain the high status that he used too have and also the idiot cops getting in the way. That is also OK but the dialog made this interesting idea into a movie that was not so unfamiliar. Not much originality in here despite having such a unique character. That is always the script's fault whenever this happens. The writing and directing just made this movie so frustrating to watch.

You cannot blame the acting. You could see that Denzel Washington, already an established actor at that time, and Russell Crowe, not established, really tried to push this movie forward. Yet there was little to work with which made them look really average.

This movie could have been much better if it was made more into a action/drama about the our inner battles. Considering that SID 6.7 had 150 personalities the storyline of his character could have made him have a battle within himself. Now this was done to a minor level which really annoyed me. They are many other ideas or methods that could have really made this movie something but of course this did not happen. It went for cheap effects, an over used clichéd storyline with a little bit of a twist. That may work for some people but not for me.

I'am giving this movie a 6/10 rating because it had so much potential.

The first great film for Russell Crowe, and a very interesting film to say the least. Cyber culture is rarely ever depicted in movies, but this was one of those films which brought some of these underground tendencies to light. What was even more interesting was how evil Sid 6.7 was. Crowe did an excellent job of portraying the demented cyber villain. I especially liked Denzel Washington, who always manages to be believable in his role when he doesn't try to be a ‘soul brotha.' Granted, the cinematography was pretty average as well as the music, but then again, the performance of the two main stars really made this film a winner.

So finally, after decades of futuristic scientists proclaiming that virtual reality will someday be here, it's here - sort of. Hollywood's always been a midwife for technology between the science industry and the common man, and in the area of virtual reality it's given us "Johhny Mnemonic" and this actioner, starring Denzel Washington.

Basic plot is this: The police have been using virtual reality as a training method, to test recruits. Before they use it on real cops, though, they draft crooks out of prison to act as guinea pigs. This is where Washington comes in. A former cop (how convenient), Washington's been rotting in jail for years. So the cops ask him to volunteer to be a part of the experiment, and of course he agrees - but the computer he's going to be downloaded into has other plans. The 'virtual' cops are supposed to face this tough criminal in the system, you see, but the computer's decided to combine all of the nasty characteristics of famous real-life killers - and then download itself into a real, sentient being (Russell Crowe). And of course it's up to our man Washington to save the day.

So there you have it, folks. It's a standard cops n robbers plot moved ahead a few centuries to take advantage of modern technology. Of course, it's set in the future, which here is portrayed as busy, grimy, a bit crime-riddled.. Hmm, a lot like the present, come to think of it, and not very inventive. And the effects are nothing special, either; you'd think with virtual reality being the centerpiece you'd see some dazzling special effects. Not really.

The cast is good, and Crowe turns in a solid (if a bit hammy, but most bad guys are, aren't they?) performance. Washington is no better or worse than usual, which means the real culprit is the script here. Do yourself a favor and wait for a two-for-one night at your video store to see this one.

Deranged psychopathic cyborg serial killer SID is trapped within the matrix. However, he manages to escape and when he enters the real world he continues his killings, but this time they are for real. It seems the only person that can stop him is convicted ex-police officer Parker Barnes; Barnes is conditionally released and is offered immunity if he is able to stop SID, but if Parker fails he'll find himself back in the box....

Is it just me or did this feel very much like Demolition Man? A maniac is released into a society that cannot deal with him and one police officer is sent to stop him as he is 'the only one capable of doing so.' This isn't necessarily a problem as despite some flaws Demolition Man was fun and was constantly winking at the audience whereas the same doesn't really happen in Virtuosity.

Whilst Virtuosity has a campy vibe to it it's not really a lot of fun to watch, nor does it have much in the way of tension. Many of the cast take things way too seriously and behave as though they are appearing in something worthy of an Oscar. I get that Denzel has to play things seriously due to what happened to his family and the assignment that he's been given, but Stallone had the same emotional baggage in Demolition Man and he still managed to knock out some humourous one liners and some amusing exchanges with Snipes. You don't get any of that here resulting in a fairly dull chase picture without a shred of good dialogue and one that doesn't even benefit from a particularly good or memorable ending. Some of the supporting cast aren't much better with the likes of William Fichtner being wasted by being given nothing to do and Kelly Lynch spending most of the film wandering round with a blank look on her face adding absolutely nothing to the film. Even the special effects look cheap and lame (and I'm trying to be objective and look at them from a mid 90's standpoint as opposed to a modern day standpoint) and I still think they look poor.

In all honesty, I think, had it not been for Russell Crowe's efforts, Virtuosity would be pretty much unwatchable, but he gives such a hammy over-the-top performance that it's hard not to smile at least a little when he is on screen. Is he scary or particularly menacing? Not really, but at least he seems to buy into the nonsense that is this film and has a good time.

Whilst good for a few (presumably unintentional laughs) Virtuosity is a pretty dull thriller that is only enlivened from time to time via Crowe's energetic performance. It does come close to almost being so bad that it's good, but the key word here is ALMOST.

DISHONOURABLE MENTION; Barnes crashing in to the back of another cop car for no reason.

"Virtuosity" represents familiar ground for director Brett Leonard. He dealt with virtual reality in the astonishingly awful "Lawnmower Man". This time, the special effects are more elaborate and successful but they are not state-of-art, even for a 1995 movie. The plot is also ordinary: how many times has a special man been sent to stop an almost unkillable murderer. However there are two twists to the formula: the first one is that the killer is a virtual killer, the second one is that he is played by Russell Crowe.

In 1995, Russell was "virtually" unknown. Right now, he is one of the most important actors in Hollywood, next to Mel Gibson, Kevin Spacey and his co-star from this movie, Denzel Washinton. What makes Russell an unusual choice for this role is that beside being incredibly good-looking (all that his Sid 6.7 would have needed), he is also tremendously talented (look at his Oscar nomination for "The Insider"). But it is his talent that gives Sid 6.7 life. He plays his character with a complete over-the-top flamboyance, which makes him even more interesting that Denzel Washington. Russell has a lot of fun in creating Sid.

The other performers mediocre or bland. Denzel Washington is boring as the hero, and the usually impressive Louise Fletcher is completely forgettable as L.A.'s Attorney General. A huge mistake was Kelly Linch. Her character doesn't do anything important, except just to be in the way of the two main characters. She is indeed the mother of the little girl, that Sid uses ultimately in trying to kill Parker Barnes (played by Washington). But it could have been any little girl. Linch gets so little character development that we couldn't care less for her.

Overall, the movie is entertaining, but only because of Russell Crowe. 7/10.

For the most part, "Virtuosity" is basically another virtual reality-themed movie so full of action that it almost hurts. But interestingly enough, there is a little bit of a plot here. Denzel Washington plays Lt. Parker Barnes, who has to help find SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe), a virtual serial killer who has escaped into the real world in 1999 LA.

Yes, that certainly sounds like it could degenerate into the kind of garbage that Hollywood usually turns out. Much of the movie is in fact vaguely reminiscent of movies like "Demolition Man". But maybe we can interpret the movie as looking at the dangers of letting technology get too powerful, like what "2001: A Space Odyssey" looked at. Obviously, this isn't even remotely in the same league as that one, but given that it was released in 1995, it almost seems like a prediction of how computer-centric the world would become.

Not a masterpiece by any stretch - both Washington and Crowe have done much better work (and now they're both Oscar winners) - but worth seeing, if only once.

Brett Leonard is a name that has fallen by the wayside, and, maybe rightfully so. The director of such a film as The Lawnmower Man didn't really make anything of note since this film Virtuosity (unless one counts Highlander 5: The Source to be of actual quality which is hard to argue for), but there was a time when he knew where to put the camera and shoot as far as action and competency with his actors. The plot of Virtuosity is cut out of other movies to be sure, and would be again (one may be reminded of 12 Monkeys with its convicted man put on a mission by his captors, or even by Batman with its anti-hero and psychotic villain creating chaos all over the city), but, perhaps if only in retrospect, the movies carries some solid entertainment in the near-mindless tradition of loud, stupid Hollywood science fiction movies of the 90's. It's like John Woo lite.

There isn't much to the plot except that a former detective (Washington) in prison for killing a man, and a few others, one of whom responsible for the death of his wife and daughter, is put into a virtual reality simulation against a psychotic being (Crowe), who is let into the real world by an asswipe who wants to get back at his bosses or something, and now the mano-a-mano is on in the real world (and, another former movie reference, Escape from NY: finish the mission, get a full pardon, but don't mind the chip in your head that might kill you). The plot is cookie cutter, and there is lack of motivation to some of the action until the over the top climax comes around. But within the silly context of things, it does make sense. And for those who may be tired of the super-fast action cutting of today's product (Bourne, Transformers, Expendables), it is a relief to be able to see what's going on.

Will it be amazing for everyone? Probably not. It does have generic plotting and the very end is close to a cop-out. But one big factor in my enjoyment of Virtuosity, on top of the decent action, were the stars, Washington and especially Crowe. The latter gives a performance that is surprising considering where he went to for the rest of his Hollywood career. This is an actor with a lot to prove, and it's ironic considering Crowe is having more diabolical fun as a Terminator-cum-Joker than he has had in most other more serious action oriented roles. Sometimes his mannerisms make the stakes a little crazier, or simply the way he acts across from stoic and concerned Washington that makes it work so. Strange as it might seem, it's really one of Crowe's finest performances, true to the wonky nature of the character and just wicked fun. It's like Crowe's imitation of a Rutger Hauer performance, which is a sight to see on its own.

Certainly it's no masterpiece, but Virtuosity has its charms and moments of excitement. It's likely the highpoint of Leonard's career, which may not be saying much, but putting together cool virtual reality sequences (the opening is most thrilling) and two high-caliber stars makes for some fun Saturday afternoon viewing.

..you know you're in trouble.

Russell Crowe is joyfully over the top as an escaped criminal from cyber-world. He makes the most of it, and its a good thing, too, since the rest of the people onscreen are so deadly boring that his coming to 'our' world in order to destroy seems like a good idea.

Denzel is at his most humorless and looks silly in a leather cop outfit - he looks like he's going to a Halloween party thrown by Ian McKellan. He is recruited to find Sid 6.7, who was inexplicably brought to this world by evil little Stephen Spinella, and kill him. Denzel had confronted Sid 6.7 in cyberworld and they didn't exactly share a laugh. Sid is many criminals all in one body, and by no small coincidence, one of them killed Denzel's wife and child.

Its very violent and even sadistic and you've seen it before, and if you didn't, you didn't miss out on that much. Crowe is a like "The Terminator" but with better clothes. Denzel is like Linda Hamilton who was equally one-note. Kelly Lynch is along for the ride, along with Louise Fletcher, William Fitchner, Kevin J. O'Connor and William Forsythe.

3/10, all for Rusty's chewing of the scenery. Someone had to keep the audience interested, so he did more than anyone else involved.

Though I enjoyed the film, I remember having watched it much earlier yet only remembering one scene in it. That's how forgettable it was for me until I did a rewatch

Crowe and Washington's acting as well as the woman that plays Madison form the core of the film, yet I feel that the movie got so caught up in the zeitgeist about computers that it failed to really have anything original about it. Most films have implausible plots but it's supposed to be possible given the reality of the Universe it's set in.

This one, somewhat gives it but also fails. With a nod to VR and not knowing where we are, we only find out something toward the end that makes it feel like a lazily executed twist.

Crowe does very well as Sid 6.7, Washington is very good in it and I wouldn't look at it further than a fun romp through dated material that thought it was being edgy.

I give it 7 for the action scenes, some philosophical stuff it touches on, and how the pacing was actually pretty good. I liked this movie more than I didn't.

This film is just plain silly. It catches Denzel Washington in one of his rare ultra-violence impulses (like Training Day). Newsflash: Washington is a premier actor wasted on a simple-mined character that just about second-rate actor in Hollywood could have played.

However, the hilarious, over the top performance of Russell Crowe as a cyborg gone berserk is a combination of Max Headroom and the rogue robot in Blade Runner. He steals the film, but cannot rescue the lame script and corny dialogue. Of course, being 30 years old, the film is a bit dated from a scientific standpoint, so we must accept the science that was available in 1995. Entertaining at times.

I caught 'Virtuosity' on late-night tv years ago not expecting much and i loved it. I recently managed to hunt down a copy of the dvd (ah yes the joys of widescreen and stereo sound!) This movie is by far (in my opinion) Russell Crowe's and Denzel Washington's best movie. I've watched it at least 6 times now and it always manages to keep me entertained every time. Many people seem to disregard this movie as bad, but i think they are taking it the wrong way; taking it too serious. It's much like a dark comedy, and is done in an almost comic-book fashion, with SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe) stealing the show with a top-notch performance. Crowe is hilarious, and Denzel is good. I really feel for his character in this movie and what he goes through. I don't think that anyone could have a worse case of deja-vu. There's plenty of action, a great supporting cast, and plenty of humor by Crowe. This movie is a very fun game of cat-and-mouse. It's sad that this movie is so under-rated, because it's great. I give Virtuosity a rating of 10 out of 10--excellent sci-fi action movie! "Say thank you!"

Virtual Reality gets a look, following in the footsteps of "The Lawnmower Man." If you saw "The Matrix"(99) and were wondering where you glimpsed the VR scenery years earlier, it may have been in this pic. Here, Denzel gets to briefly run around inside a VR world, chasing after virtual killer Russell Crowe, known as Sid 6.7 (very close to 6.66, isn't it?). Sid 6.7 is the latest computer program, a conglomeration of about 200 serial killers & mass murderers, and so advanced it's virtually self-aware. The bulk of the picture takes place in the real world, to which Sid 6.7 manages to escape to with the help of very advanced nanotechnology. I believe this was supposed to take place slightly in the future (1999), but from our perspective, it's old hat and square. Everything looks outmoded and just old, except the strangely hi-tech VR and nanites.

It's also interesting, from the modern perspective, to view an early role of Crowe's, before he hit the A-List. He doesn't have much to play with here. His character doesn't have the luxury of falling back on deep psychological reasons for his murderous ways, because he's inhuman. He's simply the latest software given locomotion in the semblance of a human body. He's programmed to be the way he is - there's no choice involved on his part. There's a brief mention of his program evolving once in the real world, but there's no actual evidence of that. Once in the real world, it's a simplistic chase & destroy mission, with Denzel the only one in the city trained to stop him. Denzel, just getting on the A-List a couple of years earlier, is standard action hero here, driven by a brutal tragedy from before the film begins. The motivations for a couple of key supporting characters are suspect; the designer of Sid 6.7, for example, turns out to be almost as psychotic, but it's hard to believe no one noticed this before (was he influenced by the software?). Fichtner, as a government aide, has the most thankless role, as an idiotic bureaucrat. The child actress playing the daughter of Lynch's character went on to teenage bombshell roles in TV series, the latest being "Charmed."

Neat concept. Very poor execution by the writers. There were so many opportunities. Everytime opportunity knocked, they just let it bleed into special effects or an action sequence. They didn't really give Denzel much to do. I thought Russell Crowe made the most of what he was given to work with. The script only let him be as diabolical and evil unfinished ideas would allow. So, great concept. Ultimately, meh. Watch it if you want.

You can't help but like Crowe's gleeful portrayal of a schizophrenic nano-bot serial killer in this ridiculous film, and with futuristic fascists, pervey programmers and a bucket loads of virtual reality cyber nonsense, this should really be a winner in the style of The Demolition Man or the Robocop series. But where other films in the genre have used such tools as wit and plot to keep the more intelligent of the viewers amused, this film, um, hasn't.

The script is terrible. The acting (excluding Crowe, who only gets away with it thanks to a camp smile and some fortunate direction) is wooden. And the plot is illogical and frustrating.

Set in the very near future, Virtuosity explores the evil fantasy of every science fiction addict by bringing an evil virtual villain out of the computer and onto the streets. Seventeen years ago, this was a wild fantasy. Today, with the way we are going with computers, not so much. But you have to enjoy the acting in this one as well as the plot, which is somewhat original. The cast is eclectic, with the powerful Russell Crowe as the virtual bad guy, a two dimensional creature bent on death and destruction, and Crowe brings a frightening believability to the role. Denzel wasn't quite the heart throb at the time, but his portrayal of Parker Barnes is excellent, and we get to feel the characters emotions and angst as he is taunted again and again by this evil construct. Louise Fletcher is the uncaring, evil woman in charge of the virtual simulations, and she is perfectly opposed by Kelly Lynch (aka Mrs. John Travolta) throughout the film. A cameo by Traci Lords and an early performance by a 10 year old Kaley Cuoco (Penny on Big Bang Theory) round out an excellent cast and make for an entertaining film. Rated R for violence, language, and disturbing content, including sex, this is one for an afternoon or evening when you are tired of the run of the mill fare. Collectible? Not necessarily, but worth a rental.

In the futuristic world of 1999, former policeman Denzel Washington (as Parker Barnes) is released from prison to help catch "virtual reality" android run amok Russell Crowe (as S.I.D. 6.7). At a disadvantage with only a bionic arm, Mr. Washington makes up the difference in determination. He is assisted by Los Angeles blonde Kelly Lynch (as Madison Carter), who comes with a vulnerable nine-year-old daughter. Watch out, Kaley Cuoco, for the man from the cable company. Washington and others keep trying to stop Mr. Crowe with ordinary bullets. Crowe bares his firm buttocks for Stephen Spinella (as Daryl Lindenmeyer). Crowe gets a kick out of killing people, and eats glass to rejuvenate.

***** Virtuosity (8/4/95) Brett Leonard ~ Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Kelly Lynch, Stephen Spinella

I bought this film awhile back for 50 cents on Amazon, just because William Fichtner was in it. I think he is a talented actor, who ranked up there among the best like Washington, Ford, Connery, etc.. Yes i am a huge Fichnter fan and he and Washington made it tolerable to watch this weird and unrealistic film. I am not a Russell Crowe fan at all, like his character SID 6.7, Crowe is so full of himself it's pathetic. First off the film is bazaar, it has to take place 15 years or more into the future. Think about it what police department would spend that kind of money on a virtual reality program to train their police officers. It a fact a computer can only train officer so much, while most of the training is done with real instructors; and real police academy students. I watched this movie again last night and didn't know whether to classify it as a comedy or Sci-Fi. I think the reason why I gave it a 6 star rating is because it does have some humor to it. As for paying money to see it at the theater, I'm glad I didn't. I then found out it was form the same director as the one who made Lawnmower Man, and that movie was more of a mistake than Virtuosity. THX, Kris L. CocKayne

Continuing my plan to watch every movie in Denzel Washington's filmography, I come to Virtuosity, a movie I had totally forgotten about

Along with Washington and Crowe, the movie features Kelly Lynch, William Forsythe, William Fichtner and it's the film debut of Kaley Cuoco.

Along with a talented cast, this has some interesting ideas, but it's a missed opportunity as it is routine and very predictable.

Random Fact 1: According to Kelly Lynch, she and Denzel Washington were supposed to share a kiss. However, Washington had the scene dropped because he felt an interracial love scene would hurt the film's box-office chances.

Random Fact 2: Action editor Billy Weber was brought in by Paramount to deliver a new cut of the film, after the initial cut was rejected. For his efforts, he is thanked in the film's closing credits. William Fichtner said about 80% of his scenes never made the final cut.

Virtuosity only grossed $24 million (on a $30 million budget) and was the 70th highest grossing movie of the year.

Virtuosity could have been a good film. The basic premise of the plot is very interesting. A computer generated villain on the loose in a modern society has all the signs of a great action film. But then the one basic premise does not create a great film. And as a result when you add pretty ordinary acting, cliched special effects and action sequences and a really poor script that just tries too hard to be cool you come away with a really poor film. 4/10

I ran across this movie on Starz. I had never heard of it. I knew from the age of the film that it was an early film for Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Both Washington and Crowe were excellent in it. Crowe plays a killer on the loose and Washington is sent out to get him. I love Crowe's portrayal of this insane futuristic killer. Crowe's character is sort of comical as well. I was very entertained watching it. Louise Fletcher has a part in it also. I thought all the actors were great in it. I definitely recommend this one if you haven't seen it yet.

The premise, as absurd as it is, and was especially in 1995, still had great potential. Not to say that it was necessarily wasted, it was simply taken in a direction tht favored flashy aesthetics and a kind of pop-punk industrial vibe that reminded me of The Fifth Element to an extent, only less memorable. What indubitably carries this movie and makes it a tolerable watch are the eccentrically psychotic performance of Russell Crowe and the sullen yet emotionally determined depiction of Denzel Washington's character. Everything else is kinda run-of-the-mill but some action scenes are especially enjoyable and the pacing keeps the blood pumping. Although the ending is debatably over the top, it fits the tone of the movie to the point where I've just gotta surrender to it. I'd have given it a 6 if it wasn't for the unusual antagonist role and delivery of Crowe's character.

After the success of Lawnmower Man, Hollywood set out to attemept another cyborg computer thriller. They should have pulled the plug on this one. What a waste of time, talent and money. You'd think Academy award winner Denzel Washington could spot a bad script. It wasn't the case here. Stupid movie.