Every now and then a movie comes along that you have to go and see out of pure intrigue. In 2015, it was The Gift. The trailer is shrouded in confusion and mystery. You can't help but be sucked in. This year's movie of intrigue for me was Hardcore Henry, a movie shot entirely in first person. In my mind, I was thinking there was no way director Ilya Naishuller could pull of such a concept. As I watched the trailer, however, with Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" as the musical backdrop, I knew that the preview was only a small taste of what I could expect. Barring a few expected drawbacks, I was pleasantly surprised by how well this movie was done.
That one handful of drawbacks is heavily outweighed by ten handfuls of innovation. As the audience, you're treated to dozens of setpieces through the eyes of the main character Henry. One minute you're jumping out of a sky lab, the next minute you're on a horse ranch. Even now, I'm thinking, "Oh, and what about that scene? Can't forget to mention that!" There is just as much adventure packed into the film as there is action. It's like an Eventual Uber--Just when you think you know where it's taking you, you turn in another direction. Eventually you get to your destination, but what a ride!
I appreciate the fact that Hardcore Henry is just as much science fiction as it is action. From super soldiers to villains with creepy, special powers, the film doesn't hesitate in deviating from the norm. Nothing is normal about this movie, but I mean that as a compliment. You would think that a movie jam-packed with action would be devoid of humor, but comedy is actually one of its strengths. Actor Sharlto Copley sees the most camera time playing the role of Jimmy, a human presence spread across multiple droid bodies. His ridiculous personalities and reckless behavior will have you cracking up for the majority of the movie.
The action, in a word, is truly hardcore. Think Ninja Assassin on steroids. While it may not be anything you haven't seen before, the first-person view definitely brings things up close and personal. Squeamish, beware! Blood, brains, and guts abound and may cause you to cringe a couple of times. For the most part, you're too caught up in the intensity captured in each scene to even have time to cringe.
Back to those drawbacks. First-person does have its limitations. There a few times where you're forced to see things from a boring angle and you're left wishing you could get the full scope of what was going on. I can think of a handful of times where Henry was facing a multitude of opponents and I thought, "It would be cool to see this scene panned out." On another note, I thought the storyline was a little confusing in places. Then again, let's be honest, we don't go see a movie like Hardcore Henry for the story.
It's the story of a man who awakens from an accident with a new robotic body and is forced to fight his way through bad guy after bad guy to get to his kidnapped wife. If you can overlook a weak storyline and the occasional poor camera angle, you're in for a treat when you watch this film. I give Hardcore Henry an 84.
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