THE VIRTUOSO – Review

So, here’s another example of a film that sports a somewhat misleading, or maybe a tad confusing title. The word in question is one usually attached to musicians like concert pianists or classical violinists. But no, this concerns another profession entirely. Although…they do share quite a bit in common. There’s the study, solitary dedication, practice, and planning. A huge part of the latter is timing, namely hitting the beats, and releasing those notes at the exact, precise moment for the proper impact. Now this film’s holder of this title doesn’t deal with notes. More often than not, it’s bullets. He’s a highly-paid hitman, one that strikes from the shadows, liquidating swiftly than disappearing into the ether. leaving no trace of his presence. His services are so lauded and coveted that he’s only known as THE VIRTUOSO.

The film opens at the conclusion of the latest “hire’ of the “services” of Mr. V (Anson Mount). In order to appreciate his talents, he provides a narration taking us through the job’s completion. Soon he’s out of the city and back in the wilderness, living by himself in a spartan wood cabinet deep in the woods and well off the grid. His only contacts are a big stray dog lumbering onto his front porch for food and a “burner” cell phone report to V’s agent/supervisor AKA “The Mentor” (Anthony Hopkins) confirming the end of his “gig”. The only way to contact the Virtuoso is by mail sent to a non-government “postal box”. After a few days, a letter arrives. The mentor explains that it’s a “rush job”, only 48 hours, which concerns V. but the fee more than makes up for the haste. But things go sideways and horrific collateral damage occurs. When a shaken V doesn’t answer his phone, Mr. M tracks him to his father’s grave. After relating a story about his time with V’s father in Vietnam, Mentor advises him to push thru the pain and “answer your damn phone”. And soon the next job comes. The envelope contains the cryptic message (maybe a name)”White Rivers” and the map coordinates that lead to Rosie’s Diner outside a cold tiny town in the mountains of the US northeast. In the eatery, V strikes up a conversation with a friendly waitress Dixie (Abbie Cornish) as he tries to figure out his “target’ . Is it the chatty couple at a table? The burly Loner at the counter (Eddie Marsan), who appears to be “packing”? Or it might even be the stoic Deputy (David Morse), who seems to be at every corner of the town? As the snow begins to drift down, the Virtuoso keeps track of all the patrons as he continues to ponder the mystery of the Mentor’s message.

The title role coulld be considered a feature film lead breakout for Mount, mostly known for supporting movie roles and a few TV leads (right now he’s “killing it” as Captain Pike, an early commander of the starship Enterprise on “Star Trek: Discovery”, streaming on Paramount Plus, which I’m told is a mountain of entertainment. The V isn’t a talkative chap, so Mount (aside from his narration) has to relay his state of mind via body language and his dark brooding eyes. And Mount shows us the painful socially awkward qualities of the hitman as he’ll pause during a mission to practice facial expressions in the car’s rearview mirror. He still draws us in, making us wonder about what’s going on in his head. Hopefully, this film will open the gates to more complex roles for him. Cornish makes Dixie a more accessible, friendlier person, though, with her piercing eyes, she remains more than a little enigmatic, as her off-the-cuff cynicism makes her an odd fit for this tiny town. As for newly awarded two-time Oscar-winner Hopkins, well, he’s the standard “man behind the desk”. Most of his time, aside from a rambling clunky ‘Nam monologue at a gravesite, he’s in his Mahogany-toned office, sitting in the dark or by fireplace light. It feels like a quick”grab the check” for a couple of days’ work to inject some star power gig that many veteran actors indulge. It appears that they cut in unimportant bits of business of him: cleaning his weapons, staring at his platoon of cell phones, and so on in order to make it seem that he has a bigger role in the film. And with his new accolades, I’m sure he’ll be featured more prominently in the marketing, but this will never make Tony’s tribute reels. Also, the same roles assigned to two of our best character actors, Marsan and Morse, are little more than beefed-up cameos with little to aid the mystery plot, other than fueling V’s heightened confusion.

Director Nick Stagliano crafts a fairly rote modern action “B” picture (thinking it’ll be a late-night premium cable TV staple very soon) from James C. Wolf’s meandering script. We’ve seen stories of working-class killers before (the two versions of THE MECHANIC spring to mind), but there’s little in the way of film style or offbeat dialogue to set this one apart. There’s a sluggish “spinning their wheels” feel to all the non-action sequences, which aren’t as engaging as needed. It’s especially the case with the endless bits at the diner, as V makes two tedious visits. It all leads up to a USUAL SUSPECTS-inspired flashback explanation which muddies up the mystery element even more and still confuses. The continuity gaffes (Dixie’s concerned up the big snowfall, but just moments later V is cruising on pristine clean streets) add to the general incoherence. Despite the “shouldn’t they know better” cast, THE VIRTUOSO is pretty much the opposite of that title. It’s more a novice, barely hitting his notes and missing the (action) beats.

1.5 Out of 4

THE VIRTUOSO opens in select theatres on Friday, April 30, 2021.