Brian A. Miller
Vice

THE FILM. Let's be clear. The main reason why all sci-fi enthusiasts and action movie fans in general have decided to watch this movie is the presence of Bruce Willis. Mostly recently engaged in a ski-lift for a famous phone company's advertising campaign, Bruce undeniably is and remains one of the top interpreters of action cinema of the last twenty years. More than that, he is a symbol, a living icon.

Nonetheless, it's undeniable that specifically regarding the sci-fi genre, the last films where he starred, and I'm thinking in particular of the disappointing 'Surrogates' (2009), of which 'Vice' indeed takes up some themes, as well as 'Looper' from 2012, have certainly not been must-sees of the genre nor have they seen him delivering performances brilliant and up to what his fame is. One might think it's due to the passing time, but instead of falling into such a consideration, I would speak rather of a lack of ideas and films that really have very little to say.

Very little is actually saved from this film, 'Vice', directed by Brian A. Miller in which Bruce Willis, openly the main actor of the film, actually plays a secondary role, that of antagonist Julian Michaels, a businessman typically interested only in money and power, but who unfortunately doesn't have the makings of the great 'villains' of the sci-fi and other cinematic genres.

VICE. At the center of the events, here is 'Vice', practically a resort where the staff is composed of synthetic beings, partly made of robotic components and partly surrogates of human components, where those who access (for a fee, of course) can indulge their fantasies. Particularly the more perverse ones.

It's inevitable to think about the video game world. Starting from the famous 'Grand Theft Auto' series or simple 'GTA', which since 1997 offers gamers the possibility to move around in a more or less vast open space, playing the role of a criminal and committing robberies, murders, and any other type of crime. A video game that, although not exactly a 'progenitor' in the genre and the first to alarm the righteous and mothers for the excess of violence in video games, legitimized due to its immediate wide and widespread popularity the possibility of being openly and freely hardened criminals, thus unleashing one's most perverse and repressed fantasies.

In the world where the events are set, usually with some cyberpunk and dystopian aspects that always please the audience, 'Vice' then becomes a gigantic money-making machine with which Bruce Willis, alias Julian Michaels, makes a lot of money with the protection of authorities at all levels. Inside, the artificial inhabitants live in a kind of continuous loop every day, day after day, and at the end of the day, they forget the experiences and the often criminal, gruesome events that they are protagonists of.

FINALLY AN ANTI-HERO. As a result, obviously, anyone who commits any type of crime inside 'Vice' and on one of these artificial beings is clearly not guilty of any offense and therefore not prosecutable by law. Furthermore, according to an unwritten pact but thanks to the power of the organization, even real criminals, when inside, would enjoy a sort of immunity. As if 'Vice' constituted a kind of free port from all points of view.

Breaking the rules and trying to bring down the system is Detective Roy Tedeschi (Thomas Jane), a typical anti-hero, tailor-made to resemble a sort of Snake Plissken, but by necessity less badass, who with unconventional methods and violating the rules and orders of his superiors, openly opposes 'Vice' and what it represents. When things at the resort start to go wrong, particularly after one of the artificial beings, Kelly (Ambyr Childers), escapes due to a malfunction and begins to remember all the violence inflicted on her day after day, she becomes a real thorn in Julian Michaels' side.

Ultimately, it is perhaps just the figure and character of Roy Tedeschi that is the only thing that truly stands out in the film. Even Ambyr Childers doesn't offer a great performance nor does she have that charm that Milla Jovovich could have had in 'The Fifth Element' or 'The Million Dollar Hotel'. And I know that's difficult.

The rest is a sort of puzzle. The term 'surrogate', besides defining the artificial beings populating the 'Vice' resort, could be used to describe the film. It poorly reuses already seen ideas. Starting right from the already mentioned 'Surrogates' and all the way to the super-classic 'Westworld' by Mr. Jurassic Park Michael Crichton, but the thrill level here is much lower and the charisma of the even robotic and stoic Yul Brynner is something that none of the interpreters of this film possesses.

ULTRAVIOLENCE. The main theme of the film remains, which is 'violence'. In a passage of the movie, Roy Tedeschi clearly tells Michaels that the clients of his resort are thirsty for violence and that this thirst is not at all quenched by a 'vacation' at 'Vice', but on the contrary, it serves as a kind of incentive for the subjects. In practice, violence begets violence and this is a principle that, if we want, can stand. I mean, it can be shared.

What could be easier, after all, than to repeat something that has already been done? And where, where is, what would be the boundary between committing violence on an artificial being entirely similar to a human being and a real human being? This especially considering the matter from the perspective of the person committing the crime.

Secondly, one should not underestimate or ignore what constitutes the undeniable, ancestral fascination with violence. After all, man is still the ape that breaks the bone on a fellow being's head in '2001: Space Odyssey' because he is fascinated by the mystery constituted by a monolith; over the years, cinema and its various forms, films like 'A Clockwork Orange', 'Fight Club', have argued and debated the theme. Even today, we regularly practice sports like martial arts, we pay to watch boxing matches where fighters fill each other with punches until they end up on the mat and unconscious, but above all, how many times during a day do we think, 'I want to punch him in the face.' And many times, just the thought is enough to make us feel somehow stronger. More confident in ourselves.

Violence constitutes an altered state. Indeed, it is a real alteration and as a kind of adrenaline rush, forgive me for the inadequacy of my specific technical language, it is the easiest of solutions in every possible case. Apparently. Because, it is evident, that man is also endowed with a rational component, which should not allow its use, and a more complex emotional component where, under a more superficial layer, feelings and sensations abound that may be contradictory but require a solution and mediation. From this perspective then, here, we can still find some meaning in 'Vice' in this will and intention, moreover not explored at all during the movie's development and dynamics, to try to delve deeper into the analysis of ourselves and this with the doubt that artificial beings might actually be able to do so as well and that we do not consider 'human' in every respect. But there will be time and way to debate this theme in the near future. For now, let's at least try to count to ten.

Quotes.

1. 'Kelly, wake up!'

'Kelly, it's time to get up!'

'You even prepared breakfast!' (Kelly)

'It's your last day, I want everything to be perfect!'

2. 'It seems so real!'

'Their flesh, their skin, most of the internal organs are real. They come from genetically cloned human tissues. There are many living things in them.'

'Can they hear us?'

'Technically, I would say yes, but until I activate them they cannot control their muscles. They look and act like humans but feel no emotions... And at the end of the day, they're artificial.'

'They believe they are as human as we are and this makes their reactions authentic and provides our guests with extremely realistic experiences.'

As for Kelly, she leads a completely normal existence. She's a bartender in a trendy place and it's always her last day on the job before she leaves to chase a dream.'

'Why always the last day?'

'Because it gives her a festive mood.'

'And the clients have fun.'

'No detail has been left to chance.'

'I would say her illusion was shattered.'

'Yes, but only temporarily. The identifying bracelets are not only used to distinguish residents from clients. Every night they emit a pulse that erases the last twenty-four hours from their memory.'

'The clones live their lives in an eternal loop, repeating the same day over and over.'

3. 'I saw someone made a nice hole in your wall.'

'Well, I'm sure you know that the fundamentalists have tried several times to attack our resort.' (Julian Michaels)

'Yes, but I wonder how they could have done such a thing with all the security and cameras you have in this place. Look at how many monitors!'

'Some friends at the police department have told me that you don't really agree with what we're doing here.'

'Oh no, I love this place!'

'You know why? Because it's the only place where every bastard around can feel in paradise.'

'The only problem is they have to pass through my city to get into yours.'

'One might think that the idea of such a place, where people do and commit any crime that crosses their minds, whatever the hell fills their minds, serves to purify their souls and make them better citizens.'

'Instead you know what happens? Exactly the opposite, believe me. Those people enjoy it and they never, never have enough.' (Detective Roy Tedeschi)

4. 'I'm sick of this fucking mess. Why the hell are you into things that don't concern you?'

'You protect the powerful...'

'You're a good cop, but you're one step away from losing your badge.'

'Oh look, it's here! You can have it any time you want, boss. Come and get it!' (Detective Roy Tedeschi)

5. 'Welcome to the real world.' (Detective Roy Tedeschi)