André Joseph is a movie features writer at Collider. Born and raised in New York City, he graduated from Emerson College with a Bachelor's Degree in Film. He freelances as an independent filmmaker, teacher, and blogger of all things pop culture.
The early ‘90s were full of blockbusters that explored the dangers of evolving technology. 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day dealt with the threat of A.I. against humanity. Additionally, 1992’s The Lawnmower Man explored how a virtual reality simulation could manipulate the human mind. The latter film’s director, Brett Leonard, took the VR theme and capitalized on T2’s success with his 1995 sci-fi thriller Virtuosity starring Oscar-winner Denzel Washington.
What Is 'Virtuosity' About? ✕ Remove Ads In Virtuosity, Washington plays Parker Barnes, an ex-LAPD cop imprisoned for the brutal murder of a political terrorist responsible for the death of his family. Fast-forward to the futuristic year of 1999, when Barnes is used as a test subject for a virtual reality police training program where he comes in contact with SID 6.7 , a virtual avatar of multiple real serial killer personalities.
✕ Remove Ads Russell Crowe's Performance Overshadows Denzel Washington's In 'Virtuosity' In a rare instance where Washington’s performance is overshadowed in a movie, the clear standout of Virtuosity is Crowe as the charismatic SID. This was only his second American film after the Sam Raimi western The Quick and the Dead. SID is not too far off from T2’s T-1000 in executing quick kills and being highly agile as a dangerous threat.
'Virtuosity' Lacks CGI Innovation Close ✕ Remove Ads What makes Virtuosity fit the period was Leonard's direction. Expanding on The Lawnmower Man’s themes about the dangers of VR, Leonard shows what he’s capable of in dealing with the technology on a studio budget. Though not as innovative as T2, Virtuosity’s primitive CGI fits well with the thrilling, high-tech atmosphere that Leonard brings to the screen.
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