The Virtuoso is a 2021 American neo-noir crime thriller directed by Nick Stagliano and written by James C. Wolf. The film stars Anson Mount as a professional assassin, with Anthony Hopkins portraying his enigmatic mentor. Other notable cast members include Abbie Cornish, Eddie Marsan, David Morse, and Richard Brake.
The story centers on a meticulous hitman, known only as “The Virtuoso,” who receives a cryptic assignment from his mentor. Armed with only the time and location—5:00 PM at a rural diner—and the code phrase “White River,” he must identify and eliminate his target among several potential individuals, including a local sheriff and a curious waitress. As the assassin navigates this ambiguous mission, he grapples with moral dilemmas and the haunting memories of a past assignment gone awry.
The Virtuoso received generally unfavorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 18% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 4.1/10. The consensus reads: “Don’t let the title—or the talented cast—fool you: The Virtuoso falls far shy of even base level competency in its attempts to wring fresh excitement from a threadbare assassin thriller setup.” Metacritic reports a score of 24 out of 100, indicating “generally unfavorable reviews.”