Denzel Washington Sci-Fi Box Office Bomb Finds Life On Prime Video
Academy Award winners don’t always have a list of films that are solid hits with film audiences. While the 1990s led Denzel Washington to numerous career accolades, the decade also resulted in several credits for the actor that were embedded in box office bombs. But as streaming services have pervaded our viewing habits, Washington’s 1995 dud, Virtuosity, is starting to gain new viewers on the streaming giant Amazon Prime Video.
Revenge And VR In Virtuosity
The science fiction/action film takes the relatively new concept of virtual reality and uses it as a plot device to deliver unthinkable terror to the populace. Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington) is an imprisoned former Los Angeles police officer that was jailed after a disastrous revenge plot resulted in the deaths of several innocent people in Virtuosity. After terrorist Matthew Grimes killed Parker’s family, Parker kills him but accidentally shoots journalists who are in the way.
While in prison, Barnes and another inmate are testing a virtual reality program where they are tracking down a serial killer. The fail-safe mechanisms go offline, leading to the other inmate dying from shock. The project, known as SID, is shelved.
Simulated Slayings Go Off The Rails
But Denzel Washington’s Virtuosity sees the project revived when the programmer in charge is convinced to replace the SID model with one that has proven to be compliant within the boundaries of the simulation. After the programmer switches back to the vicious SID model, the virtual reality killer leaps from a simulation to real life and begins a horrific killing spree.
Barnes is given an offer; help put the killer back into the VR world in exchange for freedom. Of course, the disgraced cop discovers that the SID model is partially based on the terrorist that killed his wife and daughter, making his quest to apprehend him even more personal.
Mega Stars In The Mix
Along with mega-star Denzel Washington, Virtuosity packs together a great cast that includes a handful of Hollywood favorites and co-stars a future Academy Award-winning actor. Washington shares the screen with film great Louise Fletcher (who won the Academy Award for Best Actress in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), William Forsythe (Raising Arizona), and Kelly Lynch (Drugstore Cowboy). But it’s the solid performance from Russell Crowe as SID 6.7 that serves as the film’s lone saving grace.
Russell Crowe’s Psychotic Portrayal
Years before Crowe won the Oscar for Best Actor in the 2000 film Gladiator, the New Zealand-born performer was building a resume that consisted of appearances in forgettable films with notable endeavors by Crowe. After receiving accolades for Romper Stomper and The Quick and the Dead, Crowe played his part opposite Denzel Washington in Virtuosity in a way that gave audiences a preview of his future greatness on camera.
Crowe plays the perfect psychotic killer, a chilling blend of calculated menacing and immeasurable rage that elevated the film to a whole new level. Virtuosity without Crowe would be Silence of the Lambs without Anthony Hopkins or Copycat sans Harry Connick Jr. Crowe alone makes the movie worth the watch.
Streaming Virtuosity On Amazon Prime Video
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But even with a solid cast, Denzel Washington and company weren’t able to dazzle either critics or film audiences. Virtuosity was a box office bomb, only managing a mere $30 million in box office sales against a hefty budget that nearly topped $40 million. Some critics praised the film’s concept, but otherwise lauded the actual storyline and its lack of tangible action.
You can stream Virtuosity on Prime.
