The Virtuoso

A professional killer is sent to a run-down town with almost nothing to go on: only a time and a place where he will find the person he has been hired to eliminate. At five in the afternoon, in a rustic diner, he must work out which of the people around him is his target. Among the possible candidates is the county sheriff. The assignment comes from a mentor to whom the killer owes a debt, and as he closes in on his mark, an encounter with a local woman complicates the task.

Nick Stagliano directed and produced the film, working from a screenplay by James C. Wolfe. Anthony Hopkins plays the mentor, with Anson Mount as the assassin, Abbie Cornish as the waitress who distracts him, Eddie Marsan as a lone stranger, David Morse as the deputy and Diora Baird in a supporting role. The film, an American production from Lionsgate and NAZZ Productions, runs 110 minutes.

Released on 30 April 2021, the thriller met with a muted response. On IMDb it holds 5 out of 10 from around 11,000 votes, while TMDB shows 5.9 out of 10 from roughly 454 votes. A critics' rating of 4.2 out of 10 from 54 reviews sits below the audience scores.