30 years ago, Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe teamed up for this sci-fi action movie about the dangers of AI — and you can stream it for free

If you're my age, "Virtuosity" probably doesn't come to mind when you think of Denzel Washington. This sci-fi action movie came out in 1995 and didn't do much at the box office. It didn't do much critically either; Rotten Tomatoes rates it just 30% fresh.

However, I wasn't dreading this entry in the Denzel Watchathon. While it was critically panned, Roger Ebert still gave it three out of four stars and he wasn't the only critic to praise it. It also tackles the dangers of artificial intelligence, and watching it, you'll get hints of "The Matrix" and "Minority Report."

But most importantly, this sci-fi action flick stars Russell Crowe alongside Denzel. "American Gangster," which would come 12 years after "Virtuosity," is one of my favorite Denzel movies, and a lot of that has to do with pairing him with Crowe as a foil. So to see that relationship inverted in this movie, with Denzel as the good guy and Crowe as the villain, that was always going to intrigue me, whether the movie was good or not.

If you want to watch this movie before you read on, I have great news. "Virtuosity" isn't currently streaming on any of the best streaming services, but it is streaming on Pluto TV, which is one of the best free streaming services. So you don't have to invest any money into checking out this sci-fi film; just an hour and a half of your time.

Malcolm McMillan

Malcolm has been with the Streaming team at Tom's Guide since 2023, reviewing dozens of movies each year so you don't have to watch the bad ones.

Crowe and Denzel pair for a deadly game of cat-and-mouse in 'Virtuosity'

If you are new to this ongoing series, I'm currently watching every one of Denzel's 52 movies in his filmography, one per week, throughout 2026. I started with 1981's "Carbon Copy," and I'm ending with last year's "Highest 2 Lowest." Some I've seen before, some I'm seeing for the first time.

"Virtuosity" is in the latter camp, so I was stunned to see Denzel rocking locs in some of the opening scenes of this movie. In this sci-fi action film, he plays Parker Barnes, who we quickly learn is a prisoner testing out a new virtual reality environment that will be used to train law enforcement. Part of why he's selected is that Barnes was an ex-cop himself, until he was imprisoned for killing multiple people while hunting down terrorist Matthew Grimes.

In this VR environment, he comes in contact with the AI program SID 6.7 (Crowe). Short for "Sadistic, Intelligent, Dangerous," SID is an amalgamation of all the most violent serial killers in history. He's a cold-blooded killer as an AI program, so much so that he's to be shut down. But his creator, Darrel (Stephen Spinella) sets him loose before that can happen, giving SID an android body with regenerative nanotechnology.

Unsurprisingly, SID starts killing almost immediately. So the LAPD releases Barnes on the condition that he hunts SID down and brings the android in. Joining him is criminal psychologist Dr. Madison Carter (Kelly Lynch), and they learn that not only is SID copying notable killers, but he's intentionally copying Grimes, the same terrorist who killed Barnes' family and whose death got Barnes sent to prison.

From there, we get a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that should be enthralling. And occasionally, it is. Especially when Denzel and Crowe actually come face to face, which happens on a few occasions before the movie is over.

There's one scene in particular where SID finds Barnes in a police van, under arrest for killing a woman, which SID framed him for. SID then taunts Barnes, before ultimately freeing him, only to reveal that the tracking device implanted in him so the LAPD can track Barnes as he hunts the AI serial killer includes a toxin that can kill him in an instant if triggered.

Unfortunately, when they're apart, the movie falls apart, in no small part due to some terrible writing. Some of the dialogue in this movie is atrocious, but it's not the only issue with the writing. There's one scene where an arena full of UFC fans (one of whom is bafflingly topless) start chanting "Kapow" over and over as SID makes his way through the arena killing people. That said, there's a scene where SID makes his way through a mall strutting to "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees that I simply have zero notes for.

Verdict: 'Virtuosity' is deeply flawed, but later movies do it better

Virtuosity (1995) Trailer #1 - YouTube

Watch On

"Virtuosity" should have been good. It easily could have been good. The technological limitations of the 1990s aren't the issue with this movie; almost all the problems with this movie come down to poor writing leading to poor performances. With a more deft hand writing the script, and perhaps a different director, this movie would have been a hit.

And that's not merely conjecture. There's evidence to support this. Both "The Matrix" and "Minority Report" have a lot of connective tissue with this movie. You can't help but think of them as you watch Denzel in a virtual world or hunting down a deadly AI-turned-android while also being tracked by a corporate-backed police force. And those movies are great! Similarly, "Mercy" is a modern movie that tackles AI and the justice system, and by all accounts, it's possibly worse than this movie, despite working with technology 30 years newer.

For free, "Virtuousity" is worth checking out for those who don't mind learning from a flawed movie. But time is money, and even free might be too expensive for those of you just looking for a good sci-fi movie to watch. There are simply better options out there that tackle similar themes.

Stream "Virtuosity for free (with ads) on Pluto TV

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