Virtuosity (1995)

When a virtual reality simulation created using the personalities of multiple serial killers manages to escape into the real world, an ex-cop is tasked with stopping its reign of terror.

Director:

Brett Leonard

Writer:

Eric Bernt

Stars:

Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Kelly Lynch

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Carter
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

Storyline

The Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Centre (LETAC) has developed SID version 6.7: a Sadistic, Intelligent, and Dangerous virtual reality entity which is synthesized from the personalities of more than 150 serial killers. LETAC would like to train police officers by putting them in VR with SID, but they must prove the concept by using prisoners as test subjects. One such prisoner is ex-cop Parker Barnes. When SID manages to inject his personality into a nano-machine android, it appears that Barnes might be the only one who can stop him.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | virtual reality | android | los angeles police department | artificial intelligence | 

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Taglines:

Sid 6.7: the ultimate killing machine

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Asesino virtual

Filming Locations:

Harbor Freeway Station, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$24,048,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Denzel Washington took a role in the film because his son asked him to do so.

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Goofs

When Sid steals the police cruiser and dumps Parker off he spins and does a 180, while taking off the light-bar on the cruiser is missing all but it's outer rotating lights but when the cruiser is approaching the tanker for a standoff with Parker all the lights are intact and functioning.

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Quotes

[first lines]
John Donovan: Oh, man. I can't get over how different we look.
Lt. Parker Barnes: Maybe it's the uniforms?
[they suddenly run off in pursuit]

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits when the producers thanks technology companies for providing tools, one tools is listed as HSC Kal's Power Tools. This is a typo, since the product is Kai's Power Tools. They typo is even archived in TCM's movie information database (http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/7915492%7C0/Hsc-Kal-S-Power-Tools-Bryce/)

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Alternate Versions

Despite the "Not under 18" rating, the German video version is heavily edited to reduce violence. The uncut version is available only on DVD (it was approved by the juristic commission of the Head Organization of the German film industry (SPIO)).

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

Young Boys
By Praga Khan, Jade 4 U, Oliver Adams & J.K. Magick
Performed by Lords of Acid
Courtesy of Antler Subway Records and American Recordings
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Frustrating film

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.