Hey Parker, this one’s for you! Virtuosity gets a new 4K Blu-ray release from Vinegar Syndrome

Years before Academy Award-winning actors Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe went head-to-head in Ridley Scott’s American Gangster, the two would first face off in the cult classic, techno-thriller Virtuosity. Whereas, in American Gangster, Washington played the drug kingpin and Crowe was the hardened cop on his tail, in Virtuosity, Crowe was a Joker-esque digital amalgamation of serial killers, while Washington plays the cop that hunts him down. Blu-ray.com reports on the new 4K Blu-ray of the movie that will be distributed by Vinegar Syndrome sometime this month.

The description reads,
“The near future: A virtual reality company is completing the development of a highly sophisticated training simulator designed to give police a taste of how to handle the dangers they might encounter in the field while tracking and apprehending criminals. In order to perfect this state-of-the-art technology, prisoners are selected based on their skills and toughness and forced to serve as test subjects. Amongst the chosen inmates is Parker Barnes, an ex-cop serving time for circumventing the law and taking justice into his own hands. When one of the software’s most lethal virtual criminals, SID 6.7 – an amalgamation of vicious sadists and serial killers throughout history – figures out how to jump from the computer world into the real world through the use of nanotechnology, the company behind the program quickly attempts to cover up their malfeasance. As SID 6.7 runs amok on the streets of L.A., leaving a trail of bloody violence in his wake, the police reluctantly admit that they are powerless to stop him. Their final hope is to enlist the help of Barnes, the only man to defeat SID 6.7 in the virtual world, in order to put an end to his flesh-and-blood reign of terror before any more innocent lives are taken.

Produced during the height of tech-themed sci-fi and action films, VIRTUOSITY remains one of the subgenre’s most creative and thrill-packed examples. Elevated by director Brett Leonard’s (Lawnmower Man) highly stylized action and stunt sequences, this powerhouse blockbuster stars Oscar® winners Denzel Washington (Training Day) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator) in one of his first – and most unhinged – American roles as the deranged SID 6.7. Further distinguished by Leonard’s then-groundbreaking integration of live-action film photography and cutting-edge digital effects, VIRTUOSITY remains a cornerstone of 90s cyberpunk cinema.”

Special Features and Technical Specs:

• NEW 4K RESTORATION
• DOLBY VISION/HDR PRESENTATION OF THE FILM
• Commentary track with director Brett Leonard and Jim Branscome from Cinematic Void
• Commentary track with writer and film historian Walter Chaw
• “Democratizing Virtual Reality” (13 min) – an interview with director Brett Leonard on the making of Virtuosity
• “Ahead of its Time” (14 min) – an interview with producer Gary Lucchesi on the development and legacy of Virtuosity
• “A Virtual Reunion” (38 min) – a featurette with Brett Leonard, Kelly Durkin, and Georg Berger – the pioneers behind the interactive screens of Virtuosity
• “God Complex” (18 min) – an interview with author Eric Bernt on writing Virtuosity
• “Character First” (18 min) – a featurette on assembling the cast of Virtuosity, featuring interviews with casting director Deborah Aquila, and supporting actors Stephen Spinella, and Mari Morrow
• Image gallery
• Reversible sleeve artwork
• English SDH subtitles