Rating of
2.5/4
'Hardcore' Insanity
Unknown - wrote on 05/10/16
'Hardcore Henry' is a cinematic experiment in a new production format. We've seen videos online, and scenes within films, utilize the 'first-person' experience, but we haven't seen it taken to such extremes as it is here. Not only is the entire movie recorded from the perspective of the main character, it's also a non-stop barrage of ultra-violence from start to finish. This movie is the literal definition of non-stop. The pace is blazingly fast and there is always some matter of action present on screen, whether violent or otherwise. It reminded me of the 'Crank' series (which I love), but with bigger stunts. The story is beyond simple. Our (silent) main character is thrust into a terrible situation and has to fight his way to end. The plotting is thin, only giving excuses to move immediately into the next fight, chase, gun battle, or what have you. It feels exactly like watching a set of missions from a video game. This is the film's big weakness. We don't have anything to invest in right from the start. The only parts of interest, beyond the innovative action, are the multiple creative performances from Copley (the hero's guide) and the relating of key information over time. That's it. If you came for the action, you will not be disappointed. There is so much kick-ass awesome in-camera stunt work at hand. You can see the practicality of it all. The violence is brutal and feels just as painful for the audience. It's a rush of bloody craziness in every scenes. Major credit goes to the amazing work from the production staff and stunt-performers, for pulling off some amazing feats! From that aspect alone, I had a lot of fun watching this movie and can recommend it to fans of the ultra-violence. The lack of a solid story/characters might not have me coming back for seconds.
