Director Ilya Naishuller
Genre Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi
Cast Haley Bennett, Tim Roth, Sharlto Copley, Cyrus Arnold
Rating R
Release Date April 8th, 2016
“A first-person action film from the eyes of Henry, who’s resurrected from death with no memory. He must discover his identity and save his wife from a warlord with a plan to bio-engineer soldiers.”
Hardcore Henry is an action film shot entirely from the first-person perspective. The film is directed and co-written by Ilya Naishuller (his debut feature film), and is inspired by his 2013 short film/music video Biting Elbows: Bad Motherfucker. The short film/music video features the very same first-person action and shares many other similarities. Hardcore Henry stars South African actor Sharlto Copley, who is known for District 9 (one of my favorite sci-fi films) as well as the 2015 film Chappie. It premiered in 2015 with the title Hardcore at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was so popular that it spurned a bidding war, eventually to be purchased by STX Entertainment with a wide-release commitment. The film was shot almost entirely with a GoPro Hero 3 camera, utilizing a mask/helmet contraption.
Hardcore Henry is a uniquely entertaining and very enjoyable film which is all that really matters at the end of the day. Is it gimmicky? Sure it is, but the question that needs to be asked is whether or not you are buying into this new and creative method of filmmaking. I certainly did. It does feel like a roller coaster ride in many ways and that may cause some issues for people who get nauseous easily. I was slightly concerned when the film started because I wasn’t sure if I could handle the first-person perspective for over an hour and a half but within 10 minutes or so I was completely engaged and had no issues. As many critics have pointed out, Hardcore Henry is severely lacking when it comes to plot and storyline but a film like this can get by without one. This time around it’s all about having fun.
Judging the acting in Hardcore Henry is somewhat reminiscent to that of the acting in Chappie delivered by the South African rap group Die Antwoord. What I mean is the film is very over the top much of the time and never really felt “dramatic” to the point where you would be critiquing the acting in that sense. I thought Sharlto Copley was fantastic and incredibly versatile as an actor which is nothing new for him. He seemed to really embrace his role and the impact he had on the film was vital to its success, no question about that. He was quoted as saying making this film was one of the more challenging experiences of his acting career. Haley Bennett (known for Marley & Me and The Equalizer) did a solid job and to say she was incredibly beautiful would be an understatement. She is starring in a film with Emily Blunt later this year and that will surely create a whirlwind of excitement for me. Accomplished actor Tim Roth plays a small role as Henry’s father but he leaves his mark nonetheless. I found it interesting that the film’s IMDb page does not credit an actor in the role of Henry. This is due to the fact that the character was played by more than 10 different cameraman and stuntmen, including director Ilya Naishuller.
I enjoyed Hardcore Henry and I felt like the “gimmick” it was offering its audience really worked well when it mattered most. It is a unique film that steps into some unfamiliar territory as far as filming techniques and approach. With that being said, I do feel like it might not be for everyone. If you can handle the roller-coaster ride that is Hardcore Henry and can appreciate gratuitous violence with a comedic twist (I know I can), check this one out while it is in theaters because that is undoubtedly the way it is meant to be seen.
