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Has an interesting futuristic premise, but loaded down with too many 'chase' scenes.

DVD from my public library. "Virtuosity" takes place some time in the future, when virtual reality is more advanced, such that a character can assume a personality, even begin to change itself, however all safely locked away in a virtual environment. That is, until two experimenters collaborate, and a virtual reality chip is put into a machine that synthesizes a life-like android. One that looks just like Russell Crowe comes out, naked, and equipped with features of over 200 real, notorious men, most master criminals. Something like this on the loose is very dangerous, and in fact begins to kill for sheer pleasure. The only man thought to be able to find and defeat this android is an imprisoned cop, played by Denzel Washington. And that is the story, the movie, to see which of these two will emerge victorious. Interesting premise, but at times it become so loaded with the baggage of intricate chase scenes, with all the cliché's we've seen before, that it becomes just another ordinary movie. However, Russell Crowe shows what a fine actor he already was, before he hit fame!SPOILERS follow, please read no further, OK!? The android is made of a process based on silica, so any time it gets a hand or foot blown off by a powerful gun, all it has to do is touch glass and it mends in a matter of seconds. They chase each other, the android kidnaps a young daughter of the pretty psychologist working with Denzel, ties her up with a bomb and detonation device. Denzel finds her, but has to defeat a computer program to do so, and he does just barely, with seconds remaining, of course. (Don't they always??) Then, in a fight the android falls through glass, badly injuring itself, and while it is being repaired Denzel reaches into the damaged head to extract the virtual reality chip, and when Crowe's character reaches awareness again, he is back into the virtual reality mode, and everyone is safe.

Not Denzel's best work

Still coasting on the success of The Lawnmower Man, director Brett Leonard followed that film up very quickly with Hideaway and this film, another virtual reality shocker. While many have criticized the film for its violence and Denzel Washington's lackluster performance, there are still some perks to be found here. As a director, Leonard comes a long way from his initial films. There is a definite visual flow here as he begins to get really comfortable with his world that he has created as a director. As usual, the technology of this "future" flick is a little beyond the reality of the time. 1999 did not reveal any of this kind of advancement, but at least the clothes and cars are somewhat nearer to what would be expected.The virtual world is better realized as well since it now seems more virtual than the blocky Lawnmower Man environments. Here, the technology is being used as a training ground for cops and that seems to fit more with what the programmers think it can be capable of.While Washington is low key, Russell Crowe seems to be having a lot of fun playing a serial killer made up of about 200 other serial killers. The rest of the cast does well with thanklessly underwritten roles. Really this movie is about Washington and Crowe.Perhaps with a better script, the film could have been a hit. As it stands it will probably best go down remembered as film to watch when there's nothing else on.

Worth a second look

In the near future, Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington) is an ex-cop who has been sent to prison for murder. The circumstances surrounding his crime are disheartening and elicit empathy. Now, he is offered a chance at freedom from prison. Parker must hunt down and destroy a murderous cyborg, SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe), who is menacing the general public after jumping out of a virtual reality program. The chase takes on many twists and turns as SID terrorizes, shoots and kidnaps victims in his path. Can SID be stopped?It may not be a science fiction masterpiece, but this film is worthwhile and intriguing. A second viewing may be required to truly understand and appreciate its complex plot. Then, too, the marvelous special effects enhance the look and feel of the film. It is not Denzel Washington's finest hour (he is adequate); however, Russell Crowe is positively gleeful in his portrayal of the ultimately designed killing machine. There are some humorous moments, somewhat lessening the overall dark and somber tone. On the down side, the ending may be a little too pat and leave a few loose ends untied. Recommended for science fiction and action movie fans who are on the lookout for lesser known films that may satisfy them for an evening.

An unknown, but excellent movie

That's right; my plot summary said this was an excellent movie. It is an excellent action movie with a great cast. Denzel Washington is Parker Barnes, a convict who can gain his freedom by destroying Sid 6.7, a virtual reality killer who gets into the real world. Russell Crowe is superb as Sid 6.7. Sid is the perfect villain, because he can carry on wisecracking jokes while murdering for fun. A true villain must be funny and a phsychopath, as well. Kelly Lynch, Stephen Spinella and William Forsythe all put together great performances. This movie is a must see.

Russell Crowe makes an impact

There's one main reason to see this film; sure, the story is interesting, the sci-fi concepts innovative despite their derivative nature, and the performances are all quite good, but it still remains undisputable to this viewer that Russell Crowe as SID 6.7 is a performance not to be missed.SID is a great villain; he is repulsive, revelling in death and pain, but at the same time charismatic and very, very funny. On purpose.Crowe laps up the role, appropriately milking it for all it's worth without stepping beyond believable menace. SID is pretty scary, and totally without morality. A cool villain, and all the reason you need to see this film, although Denzel's performance does help also.

Pathetic film that tries too hard

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

Cyber-Thrills!

I made a grave mistake by watching this film alone with the lights out! I had to throw a blanket over my computer that night because I was sure that a cyber-psycho would come out of it and kill me in my sleep! To say that Russell Crowe was amazing as S.I.D. would be an understatement! It definitely made up for his bland performance in L.A. Confidential. Not only did this movie offer a compelling story that took us through the looking glass into a terrifying world of cyber-danger, but it was accompanied by a killer soundtrack! We are taught through the genius of this film that if man does one day create a virtual man comprised of over 200 serial killers, that perhaps that man should not be brought into the real world.Denzel Washington was good, but not The Preacher's Wife good. This movie should be seen by anyone who owns, or is thinking about owning a computer.

many flaws, one major redemption

"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.

Confusing story to follow,but at least Russell Crowe shines!

This movie is a very confusing story to follow as the viewer does not where reality and virtual reality begins or ends! Virtuosity has hints of the Lawmower Man and the Marix. The cast does the best with the material they have !At least in this movie Russell Crowe(The Insider,Mystery,Alaska,L.A Confidential) shines a the killer Sid 6.7 ! Even though this movie is confusing you can watch this movie and see just how far Russell Crowe has come to finally get his Oscar Nomination(too bad he did not win! ) in his acting range! This movie should be fans of Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington only! Also co-starring in this mess of are the following stars: Kelly Lynch(Heaven's Prisoners), Stephen Spinella(The Jackal),William Forsythe(The Rock,Fire Storm) and Louise Fletcher(Invaders from Mars,High School High)!

A great action movie for Russell Crowe fans

This actioned packed movie is one of Denzel Washington's best action films that have been made. Its one of those films that you can watch over and over. I saw it at the movies and bought it as soon as it came out on DVD. Russell Crowe is absolutely evil but very cool as well. I hope they make a Virtousity 2.

I own the Region 4 version which also allows you to watch the film in Spanish or English audio (as does a lot of Region 4 DVD's), I'm not sure though if the Region 1 version offered here has Spanish audio.

In Australia many people by multiple region DVD players so it really does not matter to us where we buy our DVD's but people in the United States might like to check it out first if Spanish audio is important to you.

The best violent video game ever made!

"Virtuosity" plays out a lot like any ultra-violent video game. Denzel Washington plays the hero Parker Barnes while an over-the-top Russell Crowe plays Sid 6.7, the villain. The setting is futuristic Los Angeles. The story is that a hostile computer program (Sid 6.7) has escaped cyberspace and has assumed human form and an incarcerated cop (Barnes) is the only person who can stop him. Sid 6.7 craves media attention, as he is the composite of 183+ serial killers including Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson, and the man who murdered Parker's wife and daughter. Sid constantly uses taunts to try to get Parker to slip up and leaves a trail of dead bodies as well.
The protagonist is played much like any other, he's vulnerable and is determined to stop the villain. The antagonist is like any classic villain, completely over-the-top and only exists to be beaten. However, Sid is not like most video game villains. Sid is nearly invincible because he is not human, but a machine. In addition to that, he can regenerate his injuries by using the silicon properties of glass. This proves to be quite a challenge for Parker as it makes defeating Sid very difficult. In the end, this advantage is also Sid's only weakness: the larger his injuries, the longer time it will take to regenerate and the easier it is for him to be defeated.Now some people may view "Virtuosity" to be, at best, ultra-violent entertainment, which it is not. This film is actually a lot more than that.
What "Virtuosity" is trying to show us, is how truly f****d up our society has or will become. The best example of this is during the "Death T.V." scene when Sid 6.7 holds a television studio hostage. During this scene, the camera makes numerous cuts to computer screens that are showing the television ratings. Note that when Sid 6.7 first takes over the studio, that the very low ratings suddenly skyrocket. From this evidence, one can only conclude that our society thrives on violence. In this case, Sid is not the real villain here. All Sid is doing, is giving us what we want, but can never get, which is violence in all its purity and unrestrained quality.
So, in the words of Sid 6.7:"You won't be able to take your eyes off the screen."

Mediocrity

It's curious that Russell Crowe has become the sex symbol that he has since Gladiator--in this movie he's pretty creepy--he reminded me of an evil Peter Gabriel crossed with a sadistic Elvis, without the rhinestone jumpsuit. Others have said plenty about the plot, but there were holes in it that you could drop a supercomputer through. Why, for example, does the good head cop have to tell the other cops IN PERSON not to try to kill Denzel Washington's character? We've got technology enough to create a being from nanobots, but we can't even pick up a phone or a radio. Sheesh. And frankly I am sick to death of watching mere mortals outrun automatic weapons fire. There was a pretty good plot twist near the end that was well done and unexpected--and it was nice that the director let us figure out what was going on from the context rather than have implausible dialogue or unnecessary scenes--that was the highlight of the movie. Special effects were pretty good-obviously we were supposed to be paying attention to that rather than the plot. Overall, I'd recommend renting this one instead of buying--save your money for Matrix, a much better movie.

A Simple Review for a simple film

Virtuosity is a fun movie, the cg (computer graphics) is good for its time, the acting is fitted well, the concept is of a great distopia, and the overall (for myself that is) is pretty good.
The plot has been written, and rewritten by others so I'll it go.
I found this film really fun and the action is cool. Although this really isn't an action film. It carries messages and "symbolism".
The quality of the dvd is nice and sharp. Good job folks.

Read this Review

This is the worst piece of crap ever, and that's why it is so amazing. Its so inconsistent and silly. The plot is stupid to be nice, but there is a redeamable quality - Russell Crowe. Denzel Washington looks bored the whole time and Kelly Linch's character is written autrociously, but Russell Crowe is having a ball and he is so hot, hot, hot. My friend and I were in tears this movie was so silly. If you want to get together with your friends to laugh your butts off, then this is a must see. The plot just is so far from any sort of comprehensable story. There are two amazing scenes in the movie. One is the absolutely silly "birth of Sid." There is some seriously cheesy music and rather hilarious Tai Chi! Then the Symphony of terror. I couldn't believe I was even watching this. It is insane. Love it. You have to see this to believe it. Thank you

Had its moments but.....

Oh dear.... I have to say I am a little disappointed with this movie. I felt it promised much but delivered little... It had great visual effects, good actors but the story was totally unbelievable. I would like to comment further but I just feel I have wasted enough time on this movie already.

VIRTU-SNORRRRRRE-ITY

Pretty boy Denzel Washington in another bland, boring, icy attempt at an action flick where the villain's more charismatic than he is (remember Ricochet?)

The Good And The Bad

First the bad news. VIRTUOSITY has some of the most painfully predictable plot elements to come out of any theatrical release of the 1990s. Denzel Washington's Parker Barnes, hired to track down a virtual villain let loose in the real world, is, surprise, himself an ex-cop. The villain in question, Russell Crowe's SID 6.7, is a composite of dozens of murderers, including, surprise, the killer of Barnes' wife and daughter. And you just know as soon as you see the young daughter of Barnes' sidekick that he'll have to save her from a diabolical plot concocted by SID (which he does). Moreover, the special effects are surprisingly straight-to-DVD-like, even by 1995 standards. And Crowe's over-the-top bad guy is just too much at times, though perhaps that was the point.But there are some good things to be said about VIRTUOSITY. Washington's performance is nearly the saving grace the film needs, even though our star sometimes seems to be asking the same question as the audience: What is he doing in a picture like this? VIRTUOSITY also has a fun cat-and-mouse quality, and despite some absurdities and aforementioned clichés, the imaginative storyline sporadically catches our imagination. If nothing else, it certainly marks a departure for Washington, who has played the good cop countless times in his career. Director Brett Leonard keeps things moving at a reasonable pace, though the film sometimes feels a bit too much like THE LAWNMOWER MAN, his highly disappointing entry from three years prior.VIRTUOSITY is not a completely lost cause, but it is stunningly average considering the talent involved. Sci-fi fans will probably appreciate it more than most.

An excellent choice...

If you want to see a good movie, rent Virtuosity. Not only does it have a good story, but the acting is outstanding. Russel Crowe's performance outdid Denzel washington's (who is a very good actor) by alot. For all Russel Crowe fans: this is a movie to rent. For all good movie fans: rent this movie. For all none Russel Crowe fans: after watching this movie you will be one.

Whoa!

Give a good actor a juicy role, no matter how tacky the vehicle is, and watch him go! Russell Crowe, who here gives Rutger Hauer some stiff competition in the psycho department, (think Roy Batty from "Blade Runner" and "The Hitcher",) stars as SID 6.7 in this sci-fi adventure set SEVEN YEARS AGO. SID is a virtual reality program that the Los Angeles PD wants to use to train its officers in the ways of sociopathic perps. However, in the beginning of the movie, when we're getting all the tech exposition, SID manages, through the dastardly ministrations of his programmer, to work his neural net into an actual self-regenerating android, able to wreak havoc on the city. SID, standing for "Sadistic, Intelligent and Dangerous", is a compendium of hundreds of serial killers and sociopathic personalities, which makes him formidable, indeed! One of those personalities is the man who killed the wife and daughter of Parker Barnes, an ex-cop serving time for manslaughter after killing a civilian by mistake on duty. What follows is a non-stop, roller coaster cat and mouse game the minute the killer inside SID recognizes Barnes and begins to taunt him, just like the actual person did when he was alive. Because of SID's morbid attachment to Barnes, the LAPD tech dept., that created SID, LETAC, recruits Barnes to go after him after he starts to wreak havoc on the city.

Russel Crowe chews the scenery like a barracuda on uppers as he relishes every saidstic, evil deed SID performs in this movie. Washington's performance is phoned in, but he still acquits himself nicely, getting the job done. The ending is tense as all get-out, with you not knowing exactly what's real and what isn't in the film, and there are a few twists taken with this premise, but I guarantee you, you will be on the edge of your seat with this flick, a flick that seemed to jumpstart Crowe's career and was a bit of slumming for Denzel Washington, who had already won an Oscar for his work in "Glory" and was well on his way to becoming a latter day legend. I can't help thinking that this movie started a competition between the two actors, who seem to have been in a status race SINCE this movie, as if Parker and SID are still chasing each other!

The plot thickens!!

vicious (Sid?), effective Russell Crowe

If you enjoyed Russell Crowe's Gladiator arena viciousness, watch Virtuosity as well -- its an effective display of mean streak :) Denzel is his standard bland cop. Great sfx of the blue silicon regeneration ala T2 -- ya just can't get enough evil robots putting themselves back together and start huntin' ya down again!