The film that brought together Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe and Kaley Cuoco, but you don’t even remember it exists – Film News

Half a century of career is enough to carry a huge baggage of film partnerships. It would be no different with the legendary American actor Denzel Washington. His extensive filmography culminated in partnerships with names that many people probably don’t even remember.

Despite being known for his great action films, Washington is what we like to call a wildcard actor. His filmography spans a variety of genres, from the drama Time of Glory, the biography Malcolm X and the fiction The Book of Eli.

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The Book of Eli wasn’t Washington’s only dystopian fiction film

Although The Book of Eli is one of the most popular dystopian fiction films of his career, the 1995 film, Virtual Assassinreunited Washington with the legendary protagonist of Gladiator, Russell Crowe, and the eternal Penny from The Big Bang Theory, Kaley Cuoco.

The science fiction directed by Brett Leonard (Highlander – The Origin) dialogues with the phenomenon started in 1991 by James Cameron, The Terminator, by presenting a plot that presents concerns about virtual reality, with intense action scenes.

In the story, in a dystopian future, an advanced technology center develops SID 6.7, a sadistic, dangerous and intelligent virtual reality entity built from the personalities of more than 150 serial killers. To test its effectiveness before using it in police training, SID 6.7 is tested on prisoners. However, when SID 6.7 manages to inject his personality into an android, the only one capable of stopping him is former police officer Parker Barnes.

Just like the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) of Terminator 2 – Judgment DaySID 6.7 can regenerate after being shot or damaged, leading to many scenes where Washington’s hero empties entire magazines to no effect.

Virtual Assassin was also an important step in Kaley Cuoco’s career, being her first work on the big screen – at the time when she was eight years old. Despite her supporting role, her character Karin has an important role to play in the film’s third act, as does her connection to the past of the SID killing machine.

Even though it features a cast with established names, Virtual Assassin did not perform well at the box office, grossing a mere 23 million dollars worldwide – compared to its estimated budget of 30 million dollars (via The Numbers).