Virtuosity: 1995

SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe) looking sharp.

“Virtuosity” came in a COSTCO three-pack special that included “Into the Wild” and “The Manchurian Candidate” remake, and I watched director Brett Leonard’s film without any prior knowledge of the plot, premise, or people involved – I didn’t even have a commercial in mind. This is the first time I can recall having viewed a movie like this, so it was certainly an interesting experience.

“Virtuosity” begins with what seems like a dystopian future: everyone is the same, clad in uniform clothes and moving about without a hint of emotion or personality as two cops chase down a criminal. However, it becomes apparent that this is not reality, but a virtual reality system created to simulate police situations, aimed to training cops for dangerous situations minus the physical risks. However, the system malfunctions as the main criminal program, SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe), has exponentially updated himself and causes excessive neural stimulation to both “cops” (actually two prisoners used as the programs guinea pigs), resulting in the death of one and the trauma of another. The surviving inmate, Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington), leaves the facility suspicious of the system’s programmer Dr. Darrel Lindenmeyer (Stephen Spinella) and catches the attention of psychologist Dr. Madison Carter (Kelly Lynch).

As it becomes obvious that SID 6.7 is far too dangerous for safe virtual training, Lindenmeyer sets him loose with the help of nanotechnology for reasons I am not too sure of. Regardless, this sets off a chain of events leading to the release of Parker, a previous police lieutenant who is the man to have demonstrated his capability of tracking down SID 6.7. For public relations purposes, Dr. Carter follows Parker to make sure he does not go berserk on the job. And for good reasons too.

For a movie that was made about fourteen years ago, the science fiction aspects of “Virtuosity” are surprisingly undistracting. The reason is simple: a good story, solid acting, and you’ve got a engaging film that transcends any cliche pumped out during its decade. I have no knowledge regarding virtual reality or nanotechnology, but I am rest assured that the whole smeal of science spewing throughout was gibberish; nonetheless, I didn’t mind this little bit. In fact I enjoyed listening to the characters gravely deliver their lines: it wasn’t about the technology, but what others were using the technology for. The script focuses on the characters, and the sci-fi elements serve as a garnish to their surroundings.

I was reminded of “Minority Report” while watching “Virtuosity.” The detective story, the unveiling of motives, the revelation – all in the scheme of science fiction. “Virtuosity” focuses more on its serial killer, who Russell Crowe depicts with an insane glee that is just sadistic yet believable enough to be viewed as an engrossing threat to the protagonist, who is played sharply by Denzel Washington. I enjoyed the movie and left with little food for thought. When it comes down to it, there is little my mind can ponder upon from what is presented, even with the hints of humanity’s dark nature seaming throughout SID 6.7. Still, I enjoyed it, and that’s enough for me.

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