Review of Hardcore Henry (2015) by Jackson F — 27 May 2016

Hardcore Henry is one hell of a thrilling movie that is the very definition of an exploitation movie with extreme violence, nudity, and a dark sense of humour, and I had an absolute blast watching it! By far, the most violent film I've ever seen in a theatre, this film goes for the jugular and its relentless pace insures you will be consistently entertained, even if you have to look away at times.

This film's big hook is that it is all told/shot from the POV perspective of our protagonist, the aforementioned, Henry, and so you are stuck watching a 90-minute shaky-cam film that may be too nauseating for audiences to take; but if you can handle the ride, boy, does it ever pay off! I was absolutely floored with the cinematography and stunts pulled off in this film from frenetic chase sequences, to vehicle stunts, and of course, the visceral hand-to-hand combat that puts you right in the action for better or worse! The film 100% utilizes a video game-like format with rinse-and-repeat action scenes taking out waves of enemies, a re-spawn gag with Sharlto Copley's character, and of course, the POV, first-person-shooter aspect which I appreciated as a gamer, myself.

Speaking of Sharlto Copley, he really is the only "star" in this film (excluding a brief cameo from Tim Roth) and he gives it his all portraying upwards of 10 different characters at a time and while they never fully explain why all of his characters have different personalities, you just go with it because he's clearly having fun.

One thing that frustrated me a little about the movie is that we're not given any story resolution until about an hour into it, and thus you feel like the film is aimless, but much to my surprise, once the answers start coming in and the film throws in a twist I truly did not see coming, I began to forgive it for holding back.

Hardcore Henry is a truly unique beast that holds a completely niche slot as being the first, fully POV action film ever made, it is the gnarliest and most violent film I've seen on a big-screen, and features one of the most insane and clap-inducing final fights I've ever seen in my life.

Many will hate this movie, but I love films that take risks and try innovative ways to entertain; it's not for the faint of heart, but I highly recommend it to gore-hounds and action fans like myself!