While it may not be the first action sci-fi film about a form of artificial intelligence gaining awareness and a consciousness of its own, Brian A. Miller’s Vice is certainly a solid entry in the sub-genre.
In a future world, a resort has been created which allows its occupants to live out their wildest fantasies without any real-world repercussions. When one of the artificials (Ambyr Childers) from VICE starts to become self-aware and escapes the compound, founder Julian Michaels (Bruce Willis) sends his team to hunt her down and bring her back, so that her memory can once again be wiped clean.
Vice is an action packed science fiction film in the vain of flicks like I, Robot, Automata, and most recently, Chappie. While this type of self-aware robot film has been done before, there is always room for one more when done right. I do believe that Brian A. Miller and his team have created a very worthy title here that a lot of you folks will like.
Right from the opening scene, it is clear to see that Vice is an extremely well made film. Everything from the cinematography and lighting to the special effects is executed flawlessly. There is tons of action and while there isn’t any blood or gore to be seen, there is more than enough violence to satiate a lot of you horror buffs.
With a cast consisting of names like Bruce Willis and Thomas Jane, you know you’re in for some great performances. Willis generally plays the protagonist in his action roles, but he is pretty damn good as a baddie, as well. The laid back, care free approach worked perfectly here for the Julian character, since he had an entire team of soldiers to do the dirty work for him. Thomas Jane managed to channel something from his Punisher days perhaps because he was awesome as the rough-around-the-edges detective who just didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. In addition to these acting veterans, Ambyr Childers (We Are What We Are remake) and Bryan Greenberg (Friends With Benefits) were also a perfect fit for the film and did wonderfully in their roles as Kelly and Evan, respectively.
Violence begets violence and Vice is a perfect example of how this saying can ring true. Roy (Jane) wanted to shut down VICE for good, but the only way to stop the acts of violence committed by the masses who paid for services at the resort was to get pretty violent himself. With tons of shootouts, explosions, and fight scenes, Vice is entertaining as hell. You can pick up a copy on Blu-ray and DVD from Lionsgate Home Entertainment today.
I give this film 3.5 match sticks out of 5.
