“The Virtuoso” (** out of four) was a stodgy pulp thriller about a world-weary hitman (Anson Mount) who is hired by a ruthless multimillionaire (Anthony Hopkins) to kill an unknown target in a small town; problem is- he has no picture of whom he is supposed to kill so is unsure of who exactly to target and in the midst of this begins an affair with a waitress (Abbie Cornish) which results in complications. Rock-solid opening commands your attention but film soon sputters to a halt and grows slower and talkier as it goes along. Mount’s one-note (and at times laughable) performance is no help and Hopkins is wasted. Final plot twist is pretty unsurprising also. Cornish’s strong performance is an undeniable standout.