Virtuosity - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray (Limited Edition)

It’s wild to realize that there is an entire generation of grown-ass adults who didn’t know a world without the internet. I remember those dark times when your modem could only support 14.4k downloads through your phone line. I remember those days when AOL would send you a thousand 3.5 floppy discs with minutes of free online access. I remember when anything to do with computers and buzz words like “Virtual Reality” were ripe for the next big cinematic tech thriller. After his phenomenal global haul for The Lawnmower Man, director Brett Leonard moved up the studio ranks to helm mega-star Denzel Washington’s next big project, Virtuosity, co-starring up-and-coming Aussie/Kiwi actor Russell Crowe.

In the near future, VR will be used to train the next generation of LA police officers in real-world criminal situations. The program’s villain SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe) is matched only by incarcerated former police officer Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington). However, as SID 6.7’s programming unexpectedly evolves with deadly results, the suits want to shut the program down. Using state-of-the-art technology, SID’s creator decides to bring the murdering maniac into the real world. Now Barnes is the only man with any experience capable of stopping SID 6.7’s reign of real-world terror. 

Virtuosity is one of those films where I can’t quite figure out how or why it didn’t take off. I remember seeing it with my Dad in theaters and enjoying it enough to buy a tape. But the film barely equaled out its production budget at the box office, marking a notable low spot in Denzel Washington’s career catalog. Watching it today, I think the flick still holds up. Denzel is as commanding as ever and you can see Crowe giving it everything he’s got to make this first big-budget Hollywood break count. Kelly Lynch escapes Road House for a fine turn as the criminal psychologist and sort-of-but-not love interest. William Forsythe gets to let his gruff side out while Louise Fletcher drops by with William Fichtner and Kevin J. O’Connor for some quick fun appearances.

If there’s a knock that may hold the film back for some viewers, it’s the teched-up retread of the tried and true “release a killer to catch a killer” trope. As Hollywood was also punching out a variety of Tech-Thrillers like The Net and pseudo-sexual thrillers like Disclosure, it was also hammering out serial killer films by the dozen. Virtuosity is the combination of both genres. While the plot might hinge on a lot of familiarity, credit needs to be given for some pretty outlandish and entertaining ideas brought in with some solid performances. 

It’d been many years since I last caught Virtuosity but I was glad to see it still kicks - even in higher resolution. I enjoy the hell out of Crowe’s over-the-top and colorful SID 6.7 playing against Denzel’s down-to-earth wounded former cop persona. And then if we’re talking about the director’s catalog, I enjoyed this revisit of Virtuosity a lot more than a recent sit down with The Lawnmower Man. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this film a “classic” but it deserves a share more attention than it got when it first hit theaters. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Thanks to Vinegar Syndrome, Brett Leonard’s Virtuosity breaks into the 4K realm as the 11th entry in their VSU premium disc line. The 4K is pressed on a Region Free BD100 disc with a REgion A BD50 disc serving up the 1080p edition and the bulk of the bonus features. In keeping with the rest of the VSU line, the discs are housed in a standard two-disc case with reversible artwork, one side offering the original theatrical poster with the other the newly commissioned specialty art, a custom slipcover, and a 40-page booklet all housed in a hardstock book case. Each disc loads to an animated main menu with standard navigation options.

Given the time when Virtuosity was made, I was a tad worried that a high resolution 2160p Dolby Vision HDR transfer would betray some of the film’s visual charms. Thankfully that’s not the case! While the effects work might not blend as well as some of today’s outings, the CGI work for SID’s “healing” ability and other effects work stands up well. Film grain might get a tad heavier like it would be during an optical transition, but nothing out of the ordinary or distracting. This was before a film could be wall-to-wall CGI so these shots are relatively brief but also blend practical effects and make-up work to bring the illusion home. Throughout the run, fine details reign supreme. Fine facial features and hair styling, costumes, and the practical make-up work for SID’s real-world damage holds nicely while maintaining a veneer of cinematic film grain. No signs of smoothing or egregious sharpening to be seen. The Dolby Vision grade offers nice highlights and accents to the colors, black levels, and contrast without overblowing any of those aspects. All around a great transfer for this cult favorite.

On the audio side of the scale, Vinegar syndrome stuffs the 4K and Blu-ray discs with a great DTS-HD MA 5.1 track and an impressive on-its-own DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix. Both will serve your needs well, but I got more out of the 5.1 track. For all of the action scenes or when SID is “composing” his symphony, the 5.1 track offered up a strong surround presence in the soundscape. The dialog maintains priority, but gunshots, screams, chaotic crashes, and the score by Christopher Young keeps the track fully active and engaging. The 2.0 track manages itself well, key elements are prioritized and it doesn’t sound like a thin-out downmix. But if you’ve got a full surround rig, there’s not much need for the 2.0 track in my opinion. 

On the bonus features front, Vinegar Syndrome delivers a healthy package of digital assets for fans to digest. At the head of the pack is a terrific new commentary with director Brett Leoonard hosted by Cinematic Void’s Jim Branscome. Branscome does a nice job lobbing questions, but Leonard digs in deep for a lot of interesting production detail, and “how-to” info. There are a couple of quiet spots, but those are relatively short. Walter Chaw also delivers an interesting and informative commentary that is well worth the time as well. Then we get the motherload of new interviews with Leonard, producer Gary Lucchesi, writer Eric Bernt and other personalities who had a finger or two invested in the making of the film. 

4K UHD Disc 

• Audio Commentary featuring Brett Leonard and Cinematic Void’s Jim Branscome
• Audio Commentary featuring historian Walter Chaw

Blu-ray Disc

• Audio Commentary featuring Brett Leonard and Cinematic Void’s Jim Branscome
• Audio Commentary featuring historian Walter Chaw
• Democratizing Virtual Reality (HD 13:13)
• Ahead of its Time (HD 13:45)
• A Virtual Reunion (HD 37:40)
• God Complex (HD 18:21)
• Character First (HD 17:38)
• Image Gallery

Virtuosity might not stand as the greatest tech-thriller of the ages, but it’s not one to avoid either. It might play around with some familiar cops and serial killer tropes, but the clever tech conceits set it above the pack. Then you have Denzel in his prime and Russell Crowe giving it everything he’s got. Director Brett Leonard made a damned entertaining flick and now we get to see this tech gem in the full light of a brilliant 2160p Dolby Vision transfer. The audio kicks where it counts and in keeping with Vinegar Syndrome’s VSU line, this set is stacked with excellent bonus features. Recommended