One should be more than ready to feel the pain when entering the theater to see Hardcore Henry. The first-person action movie literally makes the audience the main character and since this film is one of the more outwardly violent flicks we’ve seen in some time, the audience will leave the theater quite shaken, to say the least.
The first person action movie had to be coming soon. With video games of that genre exploding in popularity, it was only a matter of time before some director strapped a GoPro camera on the head of someone and crafted a movie around it. But, to paraphrase that old Jeff Goldblum line from Jurassic Park — “Just because you can, does it mean you should?” In this case… yes, yes you should.
Hardcore Henry is not simply a gimmick. It is a story that works from the moment we (as Henry, the main character) awake. Disoriented, unsure as to who, what or where we are, the subject of the film cannot speak. We learn that his vocal program has not been installed. The doctor awaiting Henry’s waking up, it turns out… is also his wife. She has his best interest in mind, so we trust her and go along with her. Turns out, Henry was practically brought back from the dead and he is more machine than man. Good thing, because he’s going to be shot at, punched, kicked, pushed off of buildings, moving cars and motorcycles and numerous other painful things that would humble and perhaps kill the rest of us.
Given what we described Henry goes through, and the fact that you know there is a GoPro camera atop his head providing us all the visuals, yes you can bet that this is also a shaky cam movie of the highest order. As such, if you are prone to motion sickness or anything of the like, this is not the movie for you. It is so brilliantly a first person experience — that those physiological feelings will be all-too real and stomachs may be turned. That being said, it is a cinematic experience of the highest order that must be seen on the big screen for its full effect.
As for the story, it is a solid action movie set-up. Henry is just one of what could be a potential army of cybernetic soldiers. He is just the first to be brought online. Two people are wielding the strings on these militaristic puppets, Sharlto Copley’s Jimmy and Danila Kozlovsky’s evil Akan. The pair used to work together, but now are on sparring sides of this battle. The film takes place in Russia, home of director Ilya Naishuller (who co-wrote the screenplay). As such, it adds layers to this film that would be different if it was grounded in America or even in Europe. That Russian feel only hardens the weight of this first-person experience in ways that gets deep into our psyche.
The true star of the film is Copley. He plays about a dozen parts, all variations on Jimmy. No more details here… spoilers! But what the South African actor does with these roles is nothing short of brilliant. Since he first dazzled us in District 9, he has spotted success with his subsequent roles. Yet, what he turns in in Hardcore Henry shows the true breadth of this man’s talent. It is a revelation.
The other person who has to be saluted is helmer Naishuller. What an endeavor to film a flick like this. The planning that went into it is mind-numbing. In all senses, you only have one camera. Yet, you have a vast story to tell. The only thing is after about 60 minutes of this tale, this viewer was ready for it to end. In that way, the first person cinematic experience grew a bit tired. I think we, as movie goers, are trained to expect more than one literal angle to a story. In that way, it is an uphill battle to carry a first person film through its 100-minute conclusion.
But as we said repeatedly here at The Movie Mensch, we salute all forms of cinematic expression that push the envelope. And if there’s one thing that Hardcore Henry does, it breaks new ground.
Grade: B-