THE VIRTUOSO (2021) – The most unprofessional professional killer ever!
Rating: ⭐⭐ 1/2
What is Sir Anthony Hopkins doing in a movie like this, which appears to be a B grade action thriller. Certainly not something that is up the alley for Hopkins. Does he really need the extra money? Whatever the reasons may be, Anthony Hopkins certainly gave the film makers here their money’s worth with an amazingly scene where he delivers a lengthy monologue to the professional killer, the Virtuoso of the title, in a graveyard. Hopkins plays this scene straight faced and filled with conviction, despite the rather bland and very corny material that he was made to utter! I am convinced that Anthony Hopkins can recite the telephone directory and still make it look like an Academy Award winning performance, so what he did here in The Virtuoso is probably no big deal for him.
The Virtuoso is an unusual movie. It starts off by explaining in a great level of detail what a virtuoso means but spends the rest of the film demonstrating the exact opposite of that a virtuoso so be. In the context of this movie, the Virtuoso refers to the professional hitman that Hopkins hires on a regular basis. He is so corky that throughout the film, we hear his voiceover explaining his every move as if to prove to us what a genius and top class killer he is. Well, maybe that’s probably true to himself. What we do see is him getting caught in unexpected situations one after another. In fact, one might even say he ends up looking like a bumbling fool as he makes mistakes after mistakes, leaving a trail of destruction and collateral damage. This provides a lot of unintentional laughs and one begins to wonder if this movie might in fact have been intended to be a comedy. But everything is delivered by the performances with straight faces and seriousness so that idea seem unlikely.
Anson Mount plays the title role in a deadpanned manner. He has the looks of a killer all right. He reminds me of a cross between Ben Affleck and Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a ruthless killer he is not allowed to smile or show emotions. Like Schwarzenegger in the Terminator, he is seen hilariously practicing his smiles in front of a mirror before he practice it on the job. Nevertheless I think Anson may have potential to try his hand on a straight out comedy.
By the end of the movie, I am left with a mixed feeling. The movie feels bad but I cannot deny that I had actually enjoyed it even though it was probably for the wrong reasons. Could this be the hidden plan and secret of director Nick Stagliano to deliberately make a straight-faced crime thriller that is actually a comedy and farce on the genre? Is this like a comedy without the punchlines? If so, then he certainly fooled us all and perhaps be the one who is laughing the loudest!