By Robert Scucci
| Published
1995’s Cyberjack (known as Virtual Assassin in the US) is a film that thrives on its neo-noir, sci-fi action thriller energy, hitting every classic Die Hard trope along the way. You’ve got your reluctant hero haunted by his past, clever low-budget effects, and a villain so in love with his own evil schemes you almost want to root for him. The hacker jargon is detailed enough to make the fiction work but never so specific that it collapses under scrutiny, as long as you follow the movie’s internal logic.
Always entertaining and packed with charisma, Cyberjack benefits from its B-movie charm because it never pretends to be anything else.
A Cop Turned Janitor With A Troubled Past
Cyberjack follows Nick James (Michael Dudikoff), a former cop who left the force after his partner’s death at the hands of cyberterrorist Nassim (Brion James). Now a washed-up, alcoholic janitor for a computer science firm called Quantum, Nick’s inside knowledge of the building becomes crucial when Nassim and his crew break in. Nick’s haunted past collides with his old instincts as he’s forced to step up once more.
At Quantum, lead researcher Phillip Royce (Duncan Fraser) and his daughter Alex (Suki Kaiser) are developing a wild new technology that merges a computer virus with organic matter to create an AI “vaccine” against cyberattacks. Naturally, Nassim wants it for himself. His plan is to telepathically take control of the world’s computers upon merging with the technology, with little regard for the potential consequences.
Nick, barely escaping the initial assault, must rescue Alex while stopping Nassim’s hostile takeover before it’s too late. The fate of the world lies in his hands.
The Worst Special Effects That Just Work
You might laugh at Cyberjack’s special effects at first. Miniatures, laser lights, and flashing panels straight out of a ’90s tech demo dominate the visuals.
Once your eyes adjust, it works better than you’d ever expect. The gritty cinematography and glowing color palette pull you in, and before long, you’re hooked on its unapologetic Die Hard-meets-cyberpunk delivery.
Brion James goes all in as the grinning psychopath who kills on a whim, while Dudikoff’s straight-man delivery keeps things grounded. Throw in Nassim’s raving lunatic of a right-hand man, Numb (Garvin Cross), and you have an over-the-top power trio that makes every scene jump off the screen.
By leaning into Die Hard tropes while carving out its own identity, Cyberjack feels both familiar and unpredictable. It’s bold, trashy, and explosive in all the right ways, keeping you glued through every laser blast and one-liner. The ending might hit all the beats you expect, but the fun lies in the ride itself.
As of this writing, you can stream Cyberjack for free on Tubi.
