.Uirtuosity' in which he plays $id 6.

7, a oonputGr plogram ol 183 human monsters which escapes fiom a police ttaining $imulatfi G{mputer. f,usseugrowe in a seene from

vill

BY FRANK Lovf,cE
I

IS NAME is. Sid 6.7, arld he lives in virtual reality. - That's because he's not a peBon, just a computer program that looks aud acts like a person. Unfortunately, Sid's vicious. Beneath his cherubic exterior lie the personality traits of 183 human monsters, including Hitler

P;ker Barnes (Denzel Waehingion). When he escapes from a police traiuing simulator computr ard venturs into the real world in the new sci-fi action frLn "Virtuosity," his
killings aren't virtual anymone. As evil incarnate stylish and - yet witty Sid is the kind of unforgettable

ard a terrorist who'd - and killed the wife child of ex-cop

and Mangon

he won his frr'st frlm role in it'8: .,ln 1990, small-town love prggstng," His sid i; the lahJ i";seri;"f-;iil"-dy"f h"tiltnl-iij" v u*i"""". triangle l'tne directed a by George O-gilvie. dazzling performance, frorn his A New?eahnd native,born i--------' p"ot-fi6"grt m-e * iir" *l w"ui"gt trt" *iit"i, c*#" er"", SIYS production t=.try1.Tlunderdome")' started, ho$'ever, gtttl aro,rrrdruri. ", ffi",,i"t".,'"f "p Before H;ati. tft;-i;;Et"-p""-"if"u"r'""a to the clwoted gay *" t"I;rr'" **e ;;;irfi;;;3t",'6;;;, - s,i Lrl!:i",1:$::j LTj* orogilvie's, -- or iinematogrripher u.;-<rsga) tfi;co*li"c". wh;, c"oir"?tJ-", lF:."^LlP:.: lfl,g-me up an! turned-man-of-Gofi in ltEe-Qui* ana produced the rust rrrr" u" ai"ec6?&ff ITg P-El:11":.! *llT *y,9T-"c" t*8"?$;:','J#"-,*T,1",*"::1f, :tq?illi&,Si+3e5hptrlifr ffxffi ffi ff r:{ry$#ff ry-. anyt"hing else for a [vine,

boots and sweral days'worth of downy beard. Still, no one can deny Crowe's gol, talenL as big as his ego:

Russell Crowe has enough #&##l*ltrsilir'#ffi"to be a bad guy you'll remember t"tt$;Hi",:;*;;"".";, wasn't 6ne of titose oohJa-[-ho;eycopmduction "Rougi fr4agic;' wittr Bridget Fonda. As for his doing lorey.-darling performance sort of

ego

x"9.:^^^

villain- who leaps out at

aD audience

and, pardon the expression, slays 'em.

'dccJ.aimed

Action Hero." Or rather if - Russell Australian actor

Crowe, who plays the role, has

Think Alan Rickman in the original llDie llard," or Charles Dance in "Last

equivaleht of the Oscar. Yet while Sid may well lead the actor to become a leading man in America" Orowe Crowe asserts, "It's just another role. It's just the latest thing I'm talking to people about. I'm -

anything to say about it

o1_,,, - says Crowe,,bristling at the sussestion. ,TYhat do I have to _ do with

u 1o"6

,.*u,

don't.

AIan Rickrnan and Charles Dance?" But aren't they terrific actors who played memorabie villains? "Thafs your opinion," Cmwe says, putting tbe mattr to rest. He lights up a cigarette asking ifanyone else - not in thd room minds, of course - then sniles like Sid 6.7 before a kitl. lVell, okay, to maybe Sid bas more grace atrd tact. He a]so drsses better than the 3l-year-old Crowe, who's id a"

his of "No w.is*ki;;th Ml"i.aiH-u"-r.a Helen Shdver, Heien Shaver, wtriii whiih C;vv; Crowe ;t cites as ;" a$1.3 rpilibn miqo-budget indenet'ent, and the U.S. / U.K. __--r i

" p,roducer was hi,s where the his'Dotfier's :j:;:"j;" tfie producer -" godfather. Crowe, at age 5 or 6, got got no ROWE WENT on to [ired for a line of ilialogue hired dialo"sue in one oirE I become a top down under episode, opposite series star Jack I I - become star. He continues to live Thompson, who years later played his | fatheiin "The Sum of Us."' ' lI - in Sydney, Australia, and his pet proJect, project, the rnpurely a working actor." Yeah, -yeah in"Mv familv's been in the business J Meltdown," but doesn't he hear Hollywood for three three generations," senerations.,' says savs Crowe. development frlm "Pacific Meltdowl testing in calling a-fter years of botitom-budget "I'm lust-the fust one stu-pid enough -TnceFs.Fle.lc\ ltomic New Zealand's claimed nuclear-free Australian ait frlme? "I've got oFers to 8tcmd in front of the caineras!;; " n*. on the table," he announces, "for more The family moved back to New money than l got for this one, for Zealand when Crowe was aboot tl. He . "I want to do movies that have a ... sFong ser8e ol purpose, and work wrtb half the time. But doing only rturned to Australia at 2 1, p*p19,y-"o.1"u9,. studio movies is not my aim, and if I intending to apply to the National Pron' urowe ..I was saJs' -whet"lrr that'sin a aupporting or ever start thinking lik6 ttraf, tren I'll Institul,e-of Dr'a;atic Art. . go start doing mmethilg else for a workingin a theatershow, andtalked to Lt9A:T'T"ry'*-ryll!:l,o-"f 1"1 . a guy w:ho was then the head ll.."I?:ti9",L91t"tlTkl,.,ll9l_P?i"tCrowe, indeed, is following up tihirical Support at NIDd" *_*- _t:1v.9"^:t PT^T:^P9I9.I two big studio pictures with a iair recafb. 'Actu:aly," he says, "I was more modestly budgetd f rrrs; farnity friend wtio was lirittg itt St-"]:::::FT-T.ryj-teq'

fr F'iln Institute awards

uJ#;aT:hll,f ;'#Jh"#ffi :?'#"*["mr. i:#:f"lTf *,fiHii.ff":i*;ffif the Aussie worked-on tlre TV series ,.Spyforce,', .irliifir.i'tiiri.1iJt"-i,*tJiii;.""t * * *
Eotier's ffi;ffd;

l+ffi

6
>

livins."

of 6 tt ; Crowe a 11Y^Y3.::ry^T."il1i9I9!#5 ; ror a the 'virtuosity''is hous6 that he grerv i". r';_i;'"hi_- rt's own $$ffi:'trT, reward' E "p me what he i[d"?tTt-iL;t *tt"t-i" tbought about ;t"rrdi"s spenorng ffi* 4 {
three years atNIDA. Hgtold me itrd Frank oftime. He sdfl,'You already. . qq,ririUunr

be a waste

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