Hardcore Henry (2016)
David Gelmini
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Starring Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Andrey Dementyev, Dasha Charusha
Written and directed by Ilya Naishuller
If you’ve never played a first-person shooter or if you’re easily offended by violence, then get the hell off this site right now. Are you still here? Good. Then that means you do indeed enjoy first-person shooters and brutal violence. In that case, you’re probably gonna love Hardcore Henry.
Our hero, Henry, is resurrected via the magic of cybernetic enhancements so that he can have another shot at life. But enough about the story because those thugs aren’t gonna kill themselves.
What follows in an absolute non-stop orgy of gratuitous violence that’s so damn OTT and insane that it makes Deadpool look like Kung Fu Panda. There was so much non-stop brutal action that it never, ever slowed down or paused for breath. It’s amazing to think that, with all its explosions, stunts, and non-stop action, the film was made for a budget of only around $10 million dollars because they must have spent every penny wisely.
And while this meant that the plot (he has to stop some guy from creating an army of super-soldiers) was somewhat subsided, I really don’t think that anyone cares too much about plot in a film like this anyway. At least Sharlto Copley shows up from time to time to offer exposition.
I’ve also always been of the opinion that the MPAA should just retire the NC-17 rating and have the R category as the highest because if Henry strangling a man with his own intestines can’t get an NC-17 rating, then nothing ever will. And seeing everything unfold from Henry’s point of view made it all the more satisfying.
Which brings me to the most unique aspect of the film: the fact that it’s presented entirely from a first-person perspective. Although it’s certainly not the first film to feature this visual style, it is the first that tries to evoke the feeling of an FPS game (save for that brief sequence in the Doom movie), and man, does it do a good job of it. Hardcore Henry is Call of Duty bought to life. Hell, they even go as far as featuring the cliched silent protagonist that so many games feature, with Henry not even saying a single word.
And while it will never resonate with mainstream audiences (most of its other reviews are testament to that), Hardcore Henry is a film that absolutely recognizes and plays to its audience. I guess we can thank Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov, who served as producer here, for that, as the guy has a knack for helping to create awesome genre films. If you’re a regular reader of Dread Central, then the only thing I can say is that Hardcore Henry is fucking awesome and should be essential viewing for you.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
