Jacking into any sci-fi thriller with a cyberpunk vibe takes me further down the direct-to-video wormhole with Virtual Assassin (1995) aka Cyberjack, which would have a fixture on video shelves and in DVD bargain bins, and now thanks to YouTube and Tubi, it lives on to watch for free. Basically it’s a Die Hard knock-off set in the future with American Ninja’s Michael Dudikoff in the lead, and you can also play 1990s sci-fi bingo as it echoes/rips off moments from Robocop, Terminator 2, Demolition Man, Lawnmower Man, etc. Heck, it even rips off Airplane/Flying High when one cop wisecracks, “Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop drinking.” There’s something about Dudikoff – he looks like a hunk and is a direct-to-video action name, yet he still seems like the doofus from Bachelor Party. Here, he plays an ex-cop turned janitor working in a building where scientists are developing a computer virus that will stop all hackers. But there’s something goofy about the fact that this John McClane 2.0 is kicking back watching some VR nudie belly dancing in a control room when tech-terrorists led by Brion James take over the building with a crew of gutter-punk rascals. How do you make a sci-fi movie feel like Blade Runner? Cast one of its stars! Brion James is pretty entertaining as the bad guy, looking like Dee Snider crossed with The Undertaker, and his voice oscillates between a quasi-British imperiousness and a Chicago ole timey gangster accent. The high point of the movie for me – spoiler – is when James uploads the virus into his body and proceeds to have glowing green eyes, and can use his internet powers to zap a SWAT team into shooting each other. There’s also a sexy scientist who likes sports, a floating robot remote controlled by the cops, a few holograms and some internet lab talk. Action scenes seem to take place in the same hallway again and again, and for every cool looking future-gun (apparently recycled from Timecop), there’s also some cheap looking walkie talkies. I liked that Michael Dudikoff gets a bit too cocky being a hero and starts listening to a future-football game on the radio while he’s running around capping off henchmen. This is definitely cheap, made for video dreck, but there are some great future city models and floating spaceships scenes in the exterior shots. Virtual Assassin is not technically good yet was engaging enough for some VHS cyber-action.
VHS Tracking 