Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 18, 1995 TAG: 9507180033
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: IAN SPELLING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SID 6.7 (Russell Crowe), a virtual-reality (VR) villain used in a police training system, has escaped into the real world and no one can stop him.
Enter Parker Barnes (Denzel Washington), an ex-cop who has spent five years in prison.
``Barnes' past is tragic,'' says the speed-talking Leonard, 33, during a phone conversation from ``Virtuosity's'' production office in Hollywood, Calif. ``His wife and daughter were killed, his arm was blown off and he accidentally killed innocent people while going after a political terrorist.
``Barnes has been in jail for that and has slowly lost his humanity. He was the only one who ever got close to SID 6.7 in VR, so he's let out to go after SID 6.7 in the real world.''
When ``Virtuosity'' opens Aug. 4, the chase ensues.
``Essentially, it's about Barnes going after this guy who isn't real,'' Leonard says. ``As a result, he becomes more real himself, recovering his humanity.''
The film boasts nearly 150 special-effects shots created by Leonard's own computer-generated visual-effects house, L2 Communications. Still, the director contends that any story this far on the edge of believability requires superb actors to make it emotionally plausible.
``Denzel is such a fantastic actor,'' Leonard says. ``He's instantly believable and brings a genuine humanness to the role.
``Russell's performance as SID 6.7 is phenomenal. So Denzel holds down the human aspect, while Russell holds down the synthetic aspect.''
Ultimately, Leonard promises, moviegoers are in for a breakneck-paced experience propelled by cutting-edge music from Lords of Acid, Live, London Beat and Peter Gabriel.
The director, a Toledo, Ohio, native, made his feature-film debut with ``Lawnmower Man,'' a $6 million VR thriller starring Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Fahey. It grossed $100 million worldwide.
Next came ``Kiss the Frog,'' a ride-motion simulation music video used by Peter Gabriel during his 1993 world concert tour. Most recently, Leonard directed the poorly received psychological thriller ``Hideaway,'' with Jeff Goldblum and Alicia Silverstone.
The director, who lives with his wife and newborn son in Los Angeles, is clearly a genre fan.
``I've loved science fiction since I started reading,'' he says. Leonard's next project may be a big-screen adaptation of ``Green Eyes,'' the underground sci-fi/love-story novel.
```2001: A Space Odyssey' is probably the reason I make movies,'' Leonard says. ``I saw it when I was 7 and it blew me away. I said, `That's what I have to do.'
``Movies changed my life and science-fiction films are the type I crave for myself and what I like to give audiences,'' Leonard adds.
But, as was his goal with ``Virtuosity,'' he insists that it is the human element that makes it all work:
``Science fiction takes you where you can't go in the real world,'' he explains, ``but it references things that are emotionally involving in real life.''
TREK SPECS
SPECIAL REPORT: The rumors are true. Michael Dorn will beam aboard ``DS9'' as Worf, the actor's ``Next Gen'' character. In the two-hour fourth-season opener, airing the week of Oct. 2, Worf arrives on the space station to serve Sisko (Avery Brooks) as an advisor on Klingon matters after the Klingon-Federation peace falls apart.
``I'd never considered going back to a weekly show as Worf,'' a cheerful Dorn said by phone days after signing the deal. ``But I think it's a great idea for Worf to go on `DS9.'
``It's a good show and, hopefully, I can bring something to it. It'll be a challenge to play Worf again after a year away from the character, having a different outlook on him.
``I'm very excited.''
CON CALENDAR
July 28-30
Novacon at the Westpark Hotel in Tysons Corner, Va., featuring Marina Sirtis and Andrew Robinson. July 29-30 only; call (703) 280-5373.
by CNB