Hardcore Henry (2015) User Reviews

The Citizen Kane of action films...

[Offworld_Colony · 8/10 · 7 February 2020]

When is a movie not a movie? How do you rate a movie like this anyway?

Hardcore Henry completely reinvents cinematic language. It's closer to a videogame in streamlined story and brutal, flinch-inducing violence. The sometimes low-res, often choppy POV is ballsy and cleverly conceived, gags and smart editing is commendable, the director's well-honed eye providing a true cinematic breath of fresh air.

It has superbly apt, moody music and good directional sound, it's not nearly as cheap as the marketing led me to believe even though it's clearly on a shoestring, its inventiveness and good blend of stunt performers and FX create a non-nauseous, toe-curling adrenaline rush.

There's admiration to be found in the lack of exposition in the 8-bit paper-thin plot and the gaudy, gonzo characters of a suitable Sharlto Copley. If you're in to videogames or appreciate something different, then Hardcore Henry is a revelatory, avant-garde, art-house action flick with its tongue in its cheek and its balls to the wall. It's also a sadistic, nihilistic over the top collection of video game levels. Insanely creative and in incredibly bad taste. It's a gory riot, blackly comic and tells you exactly what it is upfront and never lets up. Many parts of this film are stupid, ugly, dragging and plain insufferable and then there's equal parts hilarity and visual wit, true kineticism and sheer stuntman balls.

Very Russian. Not for everyone. And wears thin by the end, but very much a one of a kind and relentlessly intent on being it's own beast. And it helps that the ending is so absurdly laugh-out-loud OTT that it puts Crank to shame.

The best video game movie that isn't based on a video game

[andyajoflaherty · 8/10 · 5 July 2020]

Crazy, action packed and also quite humorous... if you like video games you'll love this film...

More than a guilty pleasure

[mahmus · 7/10 · 19 March 2020]

This is a giant guilty pleasure of mine, that's kinda elevated past the point of guilty pleasure thanks to Sharlto Copley' geniunely great performance.

An Outlandish Fast-Paced Science Fiction Saga

[zardoz-13 · 7/10 · 10 April 2016]

Moscow-born writer & director Ilya Naishuller makes his cinematic debut with an above-average but implausible, science fiction saga, "Hardcore Henry," that resembles a video game masquerading as a feature-length film. Virtually everything is depicted from the protagonist's perspective after he is resurrected and then struggles with a thoroughly repellent villain in a series of cliffhanger showdowns. Basically, "Hardcore Henry" delivers maximum action with minimal plot. An eccentric mad scientist who has already clashed with the villain supervises our amnesiac hero as he fights their shared enemy. At the same time, Henry dedicates himself to rescuing his damsel-in-distress wife after this same dastardly evildoer has abducted her. Sadly, few genuine surprises occur in the aftermath of this abduction that endows this agitated, high-octane actioneer with greater depth. Lacking a shred of subtlety, these characters are straightforward, one-dimensional, stereotypes. The misadventures that they embark on, however, generate anticipation and hysteria. Clocking in at 96 berserk minutes with more than enough slam-bang conflict, this rambunctious Russian & American co-production gives Naishuller scant time to develop his superficial heroes and villains beyond their formulaic origins. This isn't the first time we've seen this kind of trigger-happy nonsense with a sci-fi twist. The premise recalls movies such as "Universal Soldier," "Terminator," and "Crank 2," but "Hardcore Henry" isn't as conventional in its storytelling. Naishuller collaborated with 'Training Day" scenarist Will Stewart, but the revelations that take place are largely standard-issue. Nevertheless, the greatest asset that "Hardcore Henry" deploys is the use of several GoPro Hero3 Black Edition cameras. The adrenalin-fueled action scenes that pile up triple digit body counts are engrossing because of the GoPro. Since everything is lensed from our view, we feel like a rampaging gamer blasting away at everything in sight as hordes of henchmen challenge us. Occasionally, we absorb a blow or two that knocks us sideways. Appropriately enough, Naishuller never identifies the actor from whose point of view the action unfolds. Since Naishuller and ten others who shared camera operator duties played the role, "Hardcore Henry" doesn't have a celebrity name actor in the role. Typically, we are inclined to identify with the lead actor and imagine all the risks that he is facing. Shrewdly, Naishbuller converts the audience into the hero and plunges us into a whirlpool of mayhem so we gain first-hand experience of the ordeal. Tim Roth of "Reservoir Dogs" and "District 9's" Sharlto Copley rank as the biggest stars in "Hardcore Henry," but both appear in strictly supporting roles. Cast as the hero's father, Roth appears in two scenes, and we learn little about him. The rest of the cast is either unknown or up-and-coming.

After an enigmatic opening scene that involves a teenager smashing a small robotic toy against a wall, "Hardcore Henry" begins with a gorgeous, blond, scientist named Estelle (Jennifer Lawrence look-alike Haley Bennett of "The Equalizer"), who bringing a dead soldier back to life. She calls him Henry, and what follows is reminiscent the original "Robocop" movie when he was modified. Not only is Henry missing a left forearm, but he also has no leg from the knee down. Estelle outfits our hero with a new, state-of-the-art forearm, wields a torch-like implement to solder the mechanical appendage onto Henry's elbow so that the limb looks genuine. Next, she screws a new left calf and foot onto his left leg. The last thing Estelle does is hand Henry a brass wedding band and inform him that she is his wife. Initially, Henry is mute, but he can nod as well as shake his head. Eventually, he will recover his power of speech. Estelle escorts him out of the laboratory to meet two male scientists. Before they have a chance to perform an analysis on their rebuilt cybernetic super-soldier, a wailing security alarm notifies them about a breach in their system. Soldiers pour into the room, and Henry hustles Estelle off to an escape pod. As they are plummeting to Earth, Henry looks up and we see that the laboratory was in some kind of aircraft hovering in the atmosphere. Up to this point, aside from Estelle assuring him she is his wife, Henry knows no more about himself than Jason Bourne did about himself in "The Bourne Identity." The trials and tribulations that ensue find Henry tangling against an army with a villain so smarmy that you will relish his demise.

Trust me; you've never seen anything like this audacious, hyperbolic, sci-fi thriller about armies of androids. You're going to either rhapsodize about this extreme, overwrought, parody of action movies or you're going to revile it as mindless melodramatic mayhem. Some might even consider gobbling Dramamine tablets to tolerate this frenzied film. Rookie director Ilya Naishuller keeps the action moving at such breakneck pace that it can induce headaches. Part of the problem with "Hardcore Henry" is its hopelessly incomprehensible plot. As the goofy scientist who pitches in to help our hero, Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) has already run afoul of the chief villain, Akan (Danila Kozlovsky of "Vampire Academy"), when he failed to supply him with an army of androids. Poor Jimmy suffered Akan's wrath and wound up permanently confined to a wheel chair with a broken back. Not one to take adversity lightly, Jim has created avatars of himself, and this oddball army of clones accompany out hero throughout this first-person fracas. The evil white-haired villain reminded me of Javier Barden from the Coen brother's classic "No Country for Old Men." Furthermore, Akan possesses telekinetic powers that enable him to gain the upper hand over our hero. Issues of incomprehensibility aside, "Hardcore Henry" bristles with some of the most dynamic action scenes that you will ever see. The stunt work is nothing short of spectacular, and Naishuller displays flair to spare, especially in a road chase that compares favorably to anything in the "Mad Max" movies. Had Naishuller grafted a smarter plot onto those incredible stunts and gunplay, "Hardcore Henry" would have been a devastating movie.

An underrated film that is just plain fun to watch

[mortradio · 7/10 · 18 December 2021]

Within a couple of minutes of the opening credits, "Hardcore Henry" takes off on its wild ride, and doesn't stop until the ending credits. It is just a good old fashion action film, with gunfights, explosions, crazy stunts, good guys, bad guys, weird people, twists, turns, and most of all, non-stop action.

The film has no message. There is no propaganda that it tries to push. The films entire purpose is to make its audience forget their problems and just enjoy themselves for a couple of hours (and the filmmakers succeed in that goal).

"Hardcore Henry" is a film to watch.

TIFF 2015 -- Hardcore: Just plain fun

[Brap-2 · 10/10 · 13 September 2015]

'Hardcore' is the riveting story of a newly-made cyborg who must save his wife from evil tyrants and...wait a minute. Who cares?? The whole movie is a blast!!

Ilya Naishuller is a young director who had a very cool idea to shoot an action film from a first-person perspective using a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera. The proof of concept was released as "Biting Elbows: Bad Motherf***er". It was pitched publicly and helped to successfully crowd-fund the feature, 'Hardcore'.

It's better to keep this short and sweet: the film is extraordinarily violent; not for the squeamish. It has plenty of action, free-running, stunts, and plenty of room for comedic elements. Even the opening titles give you a taste of what's to come!

Sharlto Copley (District 9, and other Neill Blomkamp projects) plays the main POV's assistant throughout the film. Copley definitely gives a range of character performances and is quality. Wearing many hats, he guides you along as if you were needing assistance in a video game, which, by the way, this film makes several references to. In particular, the Chernobyl level in Call of Duty 4 with Capt. MacMillian. Even the opening scenes are reminiscent of Half-Life, and a lot of the free-running scenes are inspired by Mirror's Edge.

For those who are wondering, no. You likely won't get dizzy watching a 90-minute action film from an FP perspective. Well, maybe you shouldn't sit in the front row. Otherwise, you will have a blast.

'Hardcore' is an all-around fun time. Just be okay with the violence. It's only 90 minutes of your time that you'll likely want to experience over and over again. Or, you'll just want to plug in a play a few games.

Either way, it's bloody fun!

my notes

[FeastMode · 7/10 · 30 June 2019]

Awesome innovative movie jam-packed with creative, intense and bad-ass action. a purely-fun action movie. lots of great scenes. for the most part this experiment was very successful to me. the villain was pretty goofy but for this type of movie that you can't take too seriously, it kind of makes sense (3 viewings)

Best action movie that I saw

[RodrigAndrisan · 10/10 · 9 April 2016]

Not worth 18 certificate on the grounds of violence, I've seen more violent movies in my life for almost 58 years(I'm born in 1958 and I'm watching movies from when I was 3 years old). And I have seen thousands of films, almost all from 1961 onward and thousands of movies made before I was born. In terms of action, Hardcore Henry has the highest level of adrenaline, pure adrenaline, the highest quality. Now I believe that people, not all of them, only some people, can levitate. I'm kidding, of course. But everything is so well done in this film, that it almost seems truthful. The stunts are downright breathless. But not only. All actors, music, editing, everything. It makes you want to see it again and again, to understand it and feel better. An exceptional film, excellent. Ilya Naishuller, I want to work with you! And, to answer to a guy here on IMDb, concerning the problem he has with the stupid "dance routine" in the middle, I don't know Ilya Naishuller but, I'm almost sure that he wanted to pay homage to Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange (1971), a film in exactly the same kind, a masterpiece of the genre, a film about violence and how violence can be cured. Remember the dance scene of Alex DeLarge (Malcolm McDowell) to the tune Singin 'in the Rain? Maybe Ilya Naishuller will tell us... 10 out of 10.

I felt dizzy

[Gordon-11 · 1 December 2016]

This film tells the story of a man who is resurrected from the dead by technology. He is a hybrid of man and technology, and is trained to kill efficiently.

There is a lot of buzz around "Hardcore Henry" being the first film to be filmed in a first person perspective. To me, the film looks more like a video game, because Henry is moves so fast and is so good at killing. People around him just die so easily. Scenes move very quickly from one to another, and the location of the story moves very quickly as well. One second he is on the roof and then the next second he is in a car. I can hardly keep up with the pace and the story! Towards the end, I felt dizzy from all the constant motion, and I was lost by the plot. At least, it was cool to have watched Henry doing daredevil jumps from one floor to another as if he was walking on grass.

An interesting experiment that mostly pays off but does get tiring.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 6/10 · 10 May 2018]

'Hardcore Henry (2016)' is an interesting experiment, an action film told entirely from the first-person perspective. At times, it provides a unique kind of entertainment you won't find pretty much anywhere else. It's admirable what the team behind the picture were able to achieve with their limited budget and camera restrictions. Some of the already elaborate stunt work is made even more impressive when you realise that the performer(s) for the eponymous 'Henry' couldn't wear a safety wire due to the 360 degree view required for the camera to seamlessly navigate through the sequences. The video-game feel - which is bolstered by several clichés, such as a silent protagonist and 'tutorial' moments -can lead to some frustration as it just seems like you're watching someone else play when you'd rather take the controls yourself. The outlandish plot and mile-a-minute pacing, along with the constrained camera-view, do get tiresome quickly, too. As such, this as an interesting movie worth a watch once for its surface value, but not much more. Plus, it is likely to cause some motion-sickness if that's something you suffer from, and maybe even if you don't. 6/10.

Hollow triumph

[gridoon2024 · 3/10 · 13 April 2016]

"Hardcore Henry" is a numbing, unrelenting assault on the senses. It's extremely well-directed: the concept of exclusively first-person POV camera-work is carried out flawlessly. But the script will offend even viewers with single-digit IQs. The film is as stupid, repetitive and mindless as....well, a bad video game. It is also grotesquely violent. The action is non-stop, but utterly suspenseless; Henry is virtually indestructible, so there is no sense of danger or physical impact to any of his adventures. The climactic fight, where he single-handedly defeats dozens of superior robot-soldiers, hits a new low in stupidity, tastelessness, and simply not knowing when to quit. But I will give Naishuller credit for two clever winks at the audience: the poster of "The Lady In The Lake" on a wall, and the music from "The Magnificent Seven" in a scene with a horse. Despite the ultraviolence, it's only in rare moments such as these that the movie seems to be targeting adult viewers. * out of 4.

Blistering entertainment

[Leofwine_draca · 10/10 · 3 August 2016]

HARDCORE HENRY started out as an Internet phenomenon before becoming a fully-fledged movie. The director, Ilya Naishuller, starting out making intense music videos which featured office locations, a first person perspective, and plenty of violent action. Later he released a five minute segment of a planned film called HARDCORE which was absolutely blistering in terms of fight action and intense choreography. That five minutes is included in HARDCORE HENRY, the full-length movie version of the Youtube shorts.

First off, a warning: this film will be divisive for many viewers. If you're not a fan of 'all action, no plot' type movies, then look elsewhere. The whole thing takes place from a first person perspective (via a Go Pro headset) which takes some getting used to, but as I'm a big fan of the found footage genre I didn't have a problem with it. Another warning is that one of the people I watched the film with suffered from motion sickness and had to abruptly leave after twenty minutes to empty the contents of their stomach in the nearest bathroom.

Otherwise, this film is great fun. It might be a one trick pony but it succeeds in what it sets out to do, which is to offer endless, well choreographed action. It's a chase movie in which the voiceless protagonist escapes from a mad scientist and his army of mindless automatons, all the while trying to rescue his kidnapped wife. Sharlo Copley has a fun supporting role as an ally who keeps coming back to help out no matter what. The free-running scenes are fun, the fight scenes are great, and there's all manner of vehicular mayhem involving motorbikes, vans, cars, and even a tank at one point. Things build up to a fantastic closing half hour which is basically one long action scene and I thought it was delightful.

Watching HARDCORE HENRY is very much like playing a first person shooter video game, albeit without the user control. It's undemanding viewing that gets straight into the action without bothering with much in the way of set up. The acting is quite poor and the humour is often in bad taste, with some truly dumb segments like the brothel scene. However, to make up for this, the special effects are excellent and the action is truly blistering. It's one of the freshest and most inventive action films I've seen since the two RAID movies.

Kinetic, Bloody and Non-stop Action

[Blue-Grotto · 7/10 · 8 November 2015]

Half human and half machine, Henry wakes only to witness the kidnapping of his wife Estelle, by a group of mercenaries. From this moment onward Henry searches and fights for Estelle with every ounce of energy he possesses. He kills and risks being killed himself, by every weapon imaginable. The viewer, through the use of a special camera attached to someone's head, is about as face to face with the violence as anyone can get. Each move that is made by Henry is followed by the viewer. Every throat that is cut seems as if it is done by our own hands. We figure out what is happening only in so much as Henry does, for both viewer and character are in the same shoes. The film is kinetic, bloody and non-stop action. While worn down by the shaky camera work and bad acting, I also appreciated all the zany twists, gore, rawness and laughs to the story. Ann of Green Gables and Little House on the Prairie the film is not, and this is usually a good thing. Seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.

Loudcore Henry

[matthewssilverhammer · 3/10 · 16 April 2016]

Hardcore Henry, like 10 Cloverfield Lane, is a big 2016 sci-fi directorial debut. But where Cloverfield portrayed a confident greatness beyond its filmmaker's experience, Henry opts to obnoxiously rely on being "different" rather than being good. A largely nonsensical headache of a movie, it should've been called Loudcore Henry (loud volume, loud performances, loud plot, and loud twists). Dripping with relentless noise and chaotic combat, it's more of a sleeper-hold than a round-house kick, simulating white noise over thrilling filmmaking. As one of the first films told entirely from first-person perspective, we experience Henry's mysteriously bad and villain-filled day through his eyes. While the movie gets some credit for being unique, it's mostly just disorienting, both in form and in content. The plot is a slap-dash collection of twists, both cliché and confusing, covered in lazy attempts at humor and tonally unfocused music. Even the action, clearly the film's selling point, is so extremely violent and decadent that it misses its target of being bold and lands closer to being reckless. Nonetheless, many of those set-pieces are fairly propulsive, especially the marquee hotel scene. Unfortunately, with great movies like Dredd and The Raid covering this area, all that's left with Henry is that first-person POV, and eventually you wonder if that gimmick becomes more of a hindrance than an asset, confusing otherwise interesting action through a hectic lack of focus. Just because your movie looks and feels like a first-person shooter doesn't mean it should have the brain of a pre-teen gamer. Maybe I'm getting old, but watching someone else play a C-level video game for 90 minutes is not my idea of entertainment.

While I enjoyed the action and stunts alot. The movie for me ultimately fell flat everywhere else.

[Brooklynsmagicmike · 6/10 · 12 August 2020]

This movie is just one those movies where majority of people are either going to love it or hate it. I saw it with my brother and he completely despised it and thought it was the worst movie ever. While I wouldn't go that far, I diddn't think it was great either.

Pros:

-The movie features some of the best action scenes I've ever seen. As well some highly intense brutalized/stylistic kills.

-The stunts pulled off by the main actors is just unreal. Some of the stuff they did was just so amazing and even though it was a movie I couldn't believe it.

-Pacing and the length of the movie was good. Never did it feel sluggish and the movie wasn't to long either.

Cons:

-While the first person approach was interesting after awhile I found myself getting headache from the constantly bouncing around camerawork.

-The plot to me wasn't very good. I tried to get into it and really couldn't. I felt it was all over the place. Also a a good chunk of it doesn't get explained till thelast 30 or so minutes of the movie. Sadly by then you're to confused to care.

-I diddn't enjoy any of the characters at all. Henry has no lines, Copleys role was highly annoying, and bennett isn't feature that much at all. Which is weird because the plot mainly revolves around her. I also diddn't find the main villain interesting enough, instead found him highly cheesy.

Overall its an okay movie. Would I recommend it? I personally wouldn't watch it ever again or tell close family about it. But if you're someone looking for something different its worth a try.

Making it Look EZ

[ianwagnerwatches · 7/10 · 21 September 2022]

Hardcore Henry is an action film, and it shares most of the flaws that action films do, except for a gimmick: first person perspective. However, the creators of Hardcore Henry committed to that simple concept with a level of clarity that elevates the work and makes it truly unique.

What I find truly impressive is how much more real everything feels from a first person perspective. Every chase scene feels real, every gunfight, every visceral punch just looks and feels so right. Using a gopro for the entire film doesn't lend itself well to a beautiful image, but committing to such a concept anchors it in reality, and that's the important thing. As well, the main character is a mute, which immediately cals to mind the silent FPS protagonist, and allows the viewer to imprint upon them. It's fantastic.

I'm not going to talk about what doesn't work, because it's the same problems most action flicks have: it's unrealistic, it's goofy, it has too much music, and it's story isn't terribly well written or interesting. But it looks damn good, and it feels damn good, and that's all I care about. I wish there were more movies like this.

To The Negative Reviews, What Else Were You Expecting?

[Bourne07 · 8/10 · 8 April 2016]

Wow, seeing some of these reviews really made me laugh. "Generic, it's the exact same thing as if you were playing a FPS game!" Maybe those who are saying those things saw a different trailer than me? This movie is exactly what it was promoted to be. An hour and thirty six minutes of a lot of violence, jokes, and well, shakiness. Within the first 30 minutes of the movie, many people walked out murmuring to themselves "this is stupid, my head hurts" and I really questioned why they even bought a ticket in the first place if watching a shaky camera hurts your head? Why did a group of middle aged women go see this, and leave shortly after? DID YOU STUMBLE UPON THE WRONG MOVIE?

Besides my little rant, I most definitely recommend this movie. I am not a major fan of FPS games, but having the entire movie filmed with Go Pro's, along with the great action made this a very fun and enjoyable movie. It doesn't take itself seriously, as it knows exactly what it is. As much as I hate when people say this, it is one of those movies where you really can turn your brain off and enjoy it.

I smiled throughout the entire movie, and though the trailers show some really cool shots from the movie, there is still plenty of fun in the movie to where you really do not get bored one bit. The park-our scenes are truly something else as well, with major respect to the stunt- men who did their job perfectly. The music choice was also something that I truly enjoyed, it fit the movie very well. The acting, while little of it, was passable and did not really strike me as "bad."

If you are a person who can't stand something like the Bourne movies for their shaky cam, do not see this. If you love action movies and really want to admire great fight scenes and plenty of mayhem, go see this.

And for those saying the idea is not original, yes, movies shot in first person are not original. But for an action movie of this caliber, I would say it is an experience that is definitely worth it.

Unique, inventive and much more interesting than you might think

[World-viewer · 7/10 · 4 February 2021]

A film that is far more interesting, original, funny, inventive and raucous than the trailer would lead you to presume. I put this off for a while thinking it would just be a rote action thriller, with just a eyeball POV.

Not exactly. Overall I applaud the directors and writers - this was a much more fun ride than many other action moves. It doesn't take itself too seriously, is quite funny (in a macabre way of course) at times, the action and gore don't hold back. It is definitely unique.

Stunningly fun. Like playing a great video game without dying to get things just right.

[shaidarharan · 9/10 · 7 April 2016]

I was definitely already a fan of the Biting Elbows music video that gave rise, but was unprepared for the roller coaster of awesome that doesn't let up for 90 minutes. I don't know if it was the 98 foot Frank's FDX screen or just a more attached rig, but some of the action was shaky and a little hard to follow, especially when Henry would get moved or tossed around. Without a sense of motion, you can lose your bearings. Being an avid FPS gamer will really help here. I'd recommend not filling your vision to the periphery with the screen (like the front 1/3rd point, where I sat) and choose a middle screen height position, which will make it more like a computer monitor experience. That said, I still found it easier to follow then the hand to hand combat in the early Bourne films, and more enjoyable. The audio is a blast with a good system, so don't wait until it gets to the crappy 30 seat theaters with the turned down speakers the megaplexes seem to tuck away in unused corners.

Sharlto Copley is extremely fun to watch in this film and did a great job not being the same character in District 9, and Elysium, proving far far from it (not a fan of Chappie, but he did well in that too).

There are so many oo, ahh, wow, and shock moments in this film. I really want to see a sequel and would definitely be happy to help fund it if they go that route again.

I think I will be seeing this again.

tldr: if you grew up with or are a fan of FPS games, this movie is amazingly fun.

Action, Action and Action.

[sauravjoshi85 · 7/10 · 10 May 2020]

Hardcore Henry is an Sci-Fi action movie directed by Ilya Naishuller and stars Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett and Tim Roth.

This movie is a true paradise for all the action lovers and it seems that you are playing a video game. Gravity defying stunts filled with gruesome violence. The movie is fast paced and will keep you glued. The climax has a very special twist.

This is one of the best action movie I have seen in the recent times. A must watch for all the action lovers.

90 minutes of all the miserable trends in action movies

[Mr-Fusion · 31 August 2016]

"Hardcore Henry" is exactly what the trailers promised:a First Person Shooter on the big screen. If you're that sort of gamer, I'm sure this is candy - but it never gets beyond that gimmick to tell a good story. The camera-work is good for driving scenes. But for fistfights, running and parkour? Hell, no!

I'm not rating this movie because it's not like I didn't know what was in store going in. Mildly curious, sure, but it has FPS written all over it from the start. Even so, I doubt I'll ever see this again. Here's a much better way to describe it. You know those Let's Play videos on YouTube? This is *exactly* like that. You're watching a video game that someone else is playing. Where's the appeal in that?

Hardcore? Yes. Fun? No.

[michaelhirakida · 3/10 · 10 April 2016]

For 96 Minutes in Hardcore Henry, you think the main silent character of Henry is having a seizure he cannot die from. But you wish he would because he has absolutely no personality whatsoever.

I was following the movie titled 'Hardcore' back when a 6 minute scene hit Youtube in 2014. I was absolutely stunned by the premise. It looked like it could actually work. As I kept my eyes open for this movie, a trailer was released with a new title 'Hardcore Henry' and it looked bloody awesome. So when I saw it today after seeing the reviews, I hoped it would exceed my expectations and be my favorite film of the year so far.

Unfortunately, with movies like these, you need your expectations set very low.

What's the Plot of Hardcore Henry? Hell if I know. From what I understand, the plot involves robots, multiple Sharlto Copley characters, a villain reminiscent of Tommy Wiseau, extreme gore and violence... that's about it.

I could say there is no plot in this film, but to my surprise, there is too much plot. The plot is extremely complicated to follow. Henry gets resurrected as a robot, turns into an absolute killing machine, finds out that Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) is a handicapped person who has multiple versions of himself that he can exit from at any time, also finds out the villain has his memories implanted into other robots for them to fight him which makes absolutely no freaking sense. Why did they make a movie that is suppose to have very little plot have too much plot?! It's ridiculous.

As much as I love Sharlto Copley, his performance(s) cannot save this movie from being over the top crazy and unnecessarily stupid. I couldn't follow his back-story at all.

The main problem I have with this movie is the camera work. It is actually interesting on how it works. They had three people film it. They put a camera headset over their head and when filming started they start doing whatever they need to do. It's actually quite revolutionary in technological advancements for film. But although it's an original idea (Kind of, I mean the Doom movie did the first person shooter thing too) it is horribly done.

The camera always shakes violently and never ever stops to get in focus of where the action is. People complain about found footage movies having too much shaky cam, but this goes to a whole new level of obnoxious. You cannot see the violence or action going on because the camera seems to be having a seizure. Also, the static like effects of the camera are bad also and very annoying. I felt like I was going to fall out of my seat and roll down the theater stairs breaking my legs. That's how bad the camera work is.

The villain. Oh my god the villain is just hilarious. He is the Tommy Wiseau of this generation. I forgot his name (It's some Russian name so I don't know) but his performance is so funny. I could not stop grinning every single time he came on.

Did I like anything? Yeah. I liked the music. The music actually wasn't that bad. Although I feel like the movie could have been done without music, the score is pretty good. With the exception of Queen's Don't Stop Me Now which plays when Henry injects himself with two syringes full of adrenaline. That was probably it though.

It was disappointing to know that something this groundbreaking could go this south of the border. If the camera-work was done better, if there was anyone likable to route for, if the violence and action could be seen, this would have gotten a 90/100 or better. But unfortunately, Hardcore Henry is not the film I hoped for.

Also, I didn't know robots had flesh that was made out of paper. Seriously, robots can just rip their own hearts out with no problem.

39/100 D+

Original anarchic daredevil how-the-hell did they do that brio

[george.schmidt · 9/10 · 3 May 2016]

HARDCORE HENRY (2016) ***1/2 Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth, Andrei Dementiev. Over-the-top sci-fi auctioneer part RoboCop part Frankenstein about an experiment gone awry involving the titular hero who winds up a patchwork of technical genius as a super soldier who attempts to stop demented Akan (Kozlovsky as an albino with telekinetic powers) from killing his wife (Bennett) in the process of world domination. Filmed with balls-out- brio and employing cameraman/stunt man Dementieve in a gonzo first-person shooter POV that induces vertigo among other stomach and head ache inducing visuals (you've been warned) with a fun breakneck mix of violence (often jarringly graphic) and slapstick comedy (Copley gets into his inner Peter Sellers as a clone). Original anarchic daredevil how-the-hell did they do that brio thanks to maverick direction by Ilya Naishuller who collaborated on the bonkers script by Will Stewart!

Hardcore Indeed

[subxerogravity · 7/10 · 9 April 2016]

It was the best video game I never played.

going into it, I was very unsure about this new concept of making a movie that looks and feels like a first person shooter, which was exactly what happen. I thought I would end up disliking the movie because the trailer made it seem like something I would love to play not just watch.

But Hardcore Henry was extremely enjoyable. It's like the movie Crank with Jason Statham, but this movie runs at eleven.

Henry is a dude who wakes up in a lab more machine than man, and when the lab gets attacked by a villain with cool telekinetic powers, Henry is forced into a quest to save his wife from the bad guys (in total video game fashion) with his only aid being Jimmy, played brilliantly by Sharlto Copley, who basically gives him missions to go on as Henry levels up.

The whole thing was conceptualized brilliantly. It was a basic action movie story which allowed the filmmakers to revolutionize the film going experience. You were right there as Henry, man.

All of the action scenes were absolutely amazing. There was this one on foot chase scene as Henry chases a Final boss type through a Russian city that was pure thrilling excitement.

The fight scenes were kick ass. that's hard to do when you can't see what the protagonist is doing but Henry made it work.

The movie moves slick and fast. A lot of critic will call a movie a thrill ride, but Hardcore Henry truly is

Quick, scrambled thoughts after watching this one.

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 4/10 · 7 April 2016]

The filmmakers deserve credit for going for an R-rating (and it's a hard R-rating, too) rather than water it down for a PG13 rating, but that's all the credit I can give them for this headache-inducing endurance test. Film quickly becomes boring, tiresome, and makes little sense. There is little plot to speak of, it's more like a series of random events being sloppily filmed in first person perspective. The non-stop action, and bloody shootouts never look real, like we're really just watching a boring video game. The few bits of inspired camera work and stunts (like falling backward off a bridge) were shown in the trailer, so their effect is lost. At no time does this ever feel cinematic or *big*, nothing makes this feel like it should be seen on the big screen, rather than a computer monitor.

After a while, I found myself looking at the dwindling audience more than I watched the movie. There were only eight people at the start, but only five remained by the time the film ended.