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Dom Robinson reviews
Justice needs a new program.
Paramount
- Cert:
- Cat.no: PHE 8069
- Running time: 101 minutes
- Year: 1995
- Pressing: 2001
- Region(s): 2, PAL
- Chapters: 20 plus extras
- Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
- Languages: English, German
- Subtitles: 13 languages available
- Widescreen: 2.35:1 (Super 35)
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 9
- Price: £19.99
- Extras: Theatrical Trailer
Director:
- Brett Leonard
(The Lawnmower Man, Hideaway, Virtuosity)
Producers:
- Gary Lucchesi
Screenplay:
- Eric Bernt
Music:
- Christopher Young
Cast:
- Parker Barnes: Denzel Washington
Madison Carter: Kelly Lynch
Sid 6.7: Russell Crowe
Lindenmeyer: Stephen Spinella
William Cochran: William Forsythe
Elizabeth Deane: Louise Fletcher
Media Zone Singer: Traci Lords
Virtuositystars Denzel Washington as Parker Barnes, a cop jailedfor murder at a time when he took the law into his own hands. While inside,he’s the best at playing a computer simulation of a hostage situation wherethe bad guy, Sid 6.7 (Russell Crowe), is a composite of the personalities of around 200murderers including Matthew Grimes, the man who killed Parker’s wife anddaughter.
In this present, Virtual Reality has progressed to a level such thatcomputer-generated creations can be brought into the real world, and so withan evil businessman taking his opportunity to bring Sid 6.7 into the world,instead of his friend’s intended Sheila 3.2, so the scene is set for chaos.
Parker has been given the chance of freedom from his long jail sentence, butonly if he can bring Sid 6.7 to justice – something that won’t prove easyas any attempt to harm him results in him being able to regenerate hissilicon-based body parts.
Oscar-winning acting is certainly not the order of the day here as Denzel’sParker Barnes character appears to be a future-set version of his Nick Stylescharacter in 1991’s Ricochet; Russell Crowe throws away hisacting talent in favour of playing an over-the-top violent psycho, andKelly Lynch plays the token bimbo-cum-psychologist who follows Parkerabout in his pursuit.
The cast is rounded out with the mean and moody William Forsythe, alsoseen in The Rock, anothergood-guy-jailed-for-life-but-given-a-pardon-if-he-gets-the-bad-guy-because-he’s-the-only-one-who-can film,and Louise Fletcher, most famous for her roleas Nurse Ratched in 1975’s One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, but nowspends her time in small roles in films like this and High School High.
On the plus side, for those who like their films futuristic and littered withnumerous visual effects, this certainly doesn’t disappoint, as TheLawnmower Man‘s Brett Leonard keeps the pace moving, the visuals colourful,and throws a number of one-liners in for Crowe as he goes about his insanebusiness.
Picture quality is excellent, the sharp, crisp image bringing the colourfulfuturistic setting to life. The film is presented in an anamorphic 2.35:1widescreen ratio.The average bitrate is 7.54Mb/s, often peaking over 9Mb/s.
Sound quality also does not disappoint as thedirector throws in a loud bullet-fest from time to time to give your speakersa workout in Dolby Digital 5.1 for both English and German.
Chaptering is adequate at 20, giving an average of one every five minutes.Subtitles are available in 13 languages:English (and hard of hearing), Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Icelandic,Norwegian, Polish, Romanian and Swedish. The menus are static and silent and the onlyextra is a 2½-minute Theatrical Trailer in anamorphic 2.35:1.
Overall, the film won’t win any major awards, but if Hollywood action/sci-fino-brainer’s are your bag – and if you choose this title – then rest assured thatParamount have tracked down an excellent widescreen master for this film.
PICTURE QUALITY
SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
OVERALL
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.