Hardcore Henry (2015)
Film details
Action · Adventure · Science Fiction · Илья Найшуллер · 1h 36min
Synopsis
Henry, a newly resurrected cyborg who must save his wife/creator from the clutches of a psychotic tyrant with telekinetic powers, AKAN, and his army of mercenaries. Fighting alongside Henry is Jimmy, who is Henry's only hope to make it through the day. Hardcore Henry takes place over the course of one day, in Moscow, Russia.
Verdict
Extreme and incessant violence filmed in first person. Content exclusively for adults.
In-depth analysis
Hardcore Henry is an audacious technical experiment: ninety minutes of action filmed entirely in first-person, as if the viewer were the protagonist of a violent video game. The result is a work that elevates graphic violence to its highest narrative expression. Unrelenting shootouts, mutilations, decapitations, explosions, and abundant blood comprise the entire fabric of the narrative. The subjective camera not only documents the violence — it makes it immersive and visceral. There is no pause, there is no moral counterweight, there is no arc of redemption. The protagonist is a cyborg without a past who traverses Moscow destroying everything in his path, and the film celebrates that destruction as pure spectacle. The formal innovation is undeniable, but the form does not redeem the content. To this is added constant coarse language and scenes of female nudity in contexts of visual exploitation. The work lacks an ideological agenda, but neither does it offer anything beyond extreme sensory impact. It is not a family film under any circumstances, not even for adults seeking entertainment with some narrative or moral substance.