Virtuosity

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2:25

Virtuosity

R

1995

1h 46m

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

29%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

32%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

A former cop who has been imprisoned for murdering the psychopath who killed his family, Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington) is recruited to test out a new virtual-reality program where the goal is to apprehend a computer-generated being called SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe), who has been modeled on hundreds of deranged criminals. When SID manages to escape into the real world, Barnes must capture or destroy him before the soulless entity can go on a killing spree.

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Critics Consensus

Woefully deficient in thrills or common sense, Virtuosity strands its talented stars in a story whose vision of the future is depressingly short on imagination.

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Mick LaSalle

San Francisco Chronicle

Jun 18, 2002

1/4

The presence of Washington lends the picture a much-needed dose of authenticity. But in the end Virtuosity is disconnected and uninvolving.

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Peter Travers

Rolling Stone

May 12, 2001

Though Virtuosity connects all the dots to give audiences a roller-coaster ride, the movie begets nothing new: It's stillborn.

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Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Feb 13, 2001

3/5

Virtuosity doesn't always compute, but like last summer's Speed, it is far more fully realized cinematically than many less commercial, more serious pictures.

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Sep 4, 2026

1/5

This is NOT it. I wish I had never saw this so Denzel's filmography would remain pure.

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

Sep 4, 2026

1/5

I've never wanted to turn off a Denzel Washington movie this fast. He's had some misfires but this one was out to lunch. The chaos was too much.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Mar 8, 2026

2/5

…one character complains about ‘neural stimulation overload’ but that’s what anyone would get after watching Virtuosity’s incredibly outdated, laughably po-faced vision of a future than never ever looked anything like this for a moment…

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Sunflower T

@RT33343098 Apr 1, 2026

So many unexpected twists! At first you are skeptical about the plot, like is it a jail movie or what? In actuality this is a simulation based movie that collides with reality. There was a time where I got confused towards the end but the idea came to together well. Not to mention, the villain is so maniacal!

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Jack M

@JackMiehof Jun 14, 2025

The Matrix with a serial killer. Delightfully unhinged, very 90's, excellent cast, but some parts of the simplistic story don't make sense.

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D.A. P

@Archives1987 Mar 18, 2025

While this is set in what is supposed to be in the realistic future- the story behind Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington's character) is gripping and tells his story of tragedy in dramatic form. It also shows us how tech can be corrupted in a next gen way letting loose a villain like Sid 6.7 (Russel Crowe's character) and how tough it would be to supposedly put him "back in the box". Also- Big Bang Theory star Kaley Cuoco makes an appearance in this movie as Madison Carter's (Kelly Lynch's character's) daughter and Parker is sent on a mission to rescue her at the end of the movie. I give this movie 3.5/5 stars- because while the story is great for a 1990's action/sci-fi crime film- you have to admit- there still seems like something is missing.

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Brad M

@RT57319247 Jul 13, 2024

So terribly dated and dumb, that it's awesome!

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Feb 18, 2023

Shockingly inept given Washington's solid (as always) work. Terrible idea for a film.

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Jeffrey P

@vanillavoodoo1 Aug 23, 2022

If you told me this was the main inspiration for The Matrix I would not be surprised. In addition to The Matrix, we've seen numerous films dealing with this subject in the last twenty years. With okay action and two Oscar winners engaged in a game of cat & mouse, the absurdity still cannot be hidden due to a few holes.

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Brett Leonard

Director

Denzel Washington

Lt. Parker Barnes

Kelly Lynch

Madison Carter

Russell Crowe

SID 6.7

Stephen Spinella

Lindenmeyer

William Forsythe

William Cochran

Virtuosity: Official Clip - Multiple Personality Disorder

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Virtuosity: Official Clip - This One's for You

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Virtuosity: Official Clip - I Will Not Be Shut Down

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Virtuosity: Official Clip - I Ain't Going Nowhere

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Virtuosity: Official Clip - SID 6.7 Disabled

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Virtuosity: Official Clip - Bombshop 6.7

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Virtuosity: Official Clip - SID's Symphony

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Synopsis

A former cop who has been imprisoned for murdering the psychopath who killed his family, Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington) is recruited to test out a new virtual-reality program where the goal is to apprehend a computer-generated being called SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe), who has been modeled on hundreds of deranged criminals. When SID manages to escape into the real world, Barnes must capture or destroy him before the soulless entity can go on a killing spree.

Director: Brett Leonard
Producer: Gary Lucchesi
Screenwriter: Eric Bernt
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 11, 2020
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.2M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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