Almost a Virtuoso

The Virtuoso (Nick Stagliano) (opening Friday at Emagine Canton 18 EMAX, MJR Southgate 20 EPIC, MJR Marketplace 20, MJR Westland Grand 16 as well as steaming on Digital on Demand with Blu-ray and DVD release May 4) is a slick absorbing story about an assassin for hire, played by Anson Mount. The film opens with our man spying a couple having sex in an apartment across the street. His job: assassinate the male target. Two shots and he’s done. After all, our man is a professional, a "virtuoso." So much so he thinks of all the ramifications and permutations that could occur on a particular job - the time it will take for the terrorized woman to grab a phone and call police, the seconds waiting for 411 to answer, the number of minutes for police to arrive “in that part of town.” Nothing, apparently, is left to chance. “You’re a professional, an expert, devoted to timing and precision,” the voice over narrator says. Except on his next assignment, he doesn’t see a couple of people coming out of nowhere with one collaterally killed when his target, as planned, crashes his shot-out car. Back at his “off the grid” wilderness cabin our man obsesses over this inadvertent murder. But he’s a professional, of course, so he’s up for the next assignment. That comes from his boss, aka The Mentor, played by Anthony Hopkins, avec sunglasses and leather jacket, of course. The new target is the cryptic White Rivers. Our man drives to a remote area, all the while trying to decipher who could be the plausible target. He winds up in a café with a rogue’s gallery of possibilities. From here the plot devolves into a series of blind alleys among various targets, their assassin worthiness questionable. But it’s here also that we find the narrative totally upended. And the reversal calls into question the previous underlying plot assumptions. This 110-minute film is good for an easy night out (or in, as the case may be).  Despite some unexpected turns towards the end the story is pretty straightforward; it won’t tax your whodunnit synapses. The score also creates tension even in calmer non-consequential scenes, and that's a good thing. The problems with the film are that our man assumes a too serious demeanor; he barely cracks a smile. There are other cliches: like wearing a white shirt and tie on assignment; I’m not in the biz but who does that anymore?  The darkened office of the mysterious Mentor is a staple from, oh, way back. And the plot is thin. But, hell, does it really matter? The Virtuoso is not deep but it’s entertaining enough. You probably won’t have thrown your Friday night entertainment money away.