The action genre has had some great films and many flops. The always have lots of blood and gore, sometimes to an extreme degree. It is not uncommon for the hero to have to face an army to either win the day or save the woman he loves. The villain always has a diabolical plan to destroy the world and only the good guy can stop them. Hardcore Henry follows this tradition in many ways but brings some new elements to the table. It is done in first person like many video games people like to play these days without any idea what the hero looks like or who they are. I got to see this movie earlier this week and here is what I thought of it.
A man wakes up in Moscow unsure of who he is or how ended up in a strange laboratory. A woman named Estelle (Haley Bennett) who claims to be his wife says he has been brought to life from the brink of death and is now a half human cyborg and that his name is Henry. Before she can reactivate his voice Estelle is kidnapped by a deadly warlord named Akan (Danila Kozlovsky) who wants to destroy the world. Once he breaks free he runs into a man named Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) who claims to be a friend but it is unknown what his true intentions could be. As Henry walks around this unfamiliar city he has to do his best not to get killed and learn the truth behind his identity.
Harcore Henry is a really bad movie. The camera moves around so much that it can make your head spin, it did with me right away. Thanks to this it was hard for me to actually enjoy this movie and just to get through it I had to move many rows back from where I was originally sitting. There is also a lot of violence in this movie, I mean way too much of it. In any action film violence is to be expected but not like this. The fight scenes are just attempts to watch Henry kill loads of people in ways that wouldn’t make sense in ways that are disgusting, extreme and many times unnecessary. If the motion sickness doesn’t turn your stomach some of the ways Henry kills his enemies will. The movie also doesn’t make much sense. The plot is not that exciting and there isn’t much going on here that gives the movie any kind of substance or depth. The music in the movie is good but some of the songs don’t fit in the scenes they are put in. The only really great thing about this movie is Sharlto Copley, he always brings humor and his character actually helps move the story along, gives it some footing for a while and thanks to him there are a few cool twists towards the end that people will enjoy.
Hardcore Henry has earned 2/10. The movie had a great concept that looks wonderful in the trailers but the camera moving around too much really made it too hard to watch or enjoy this movie. The finale is awful and is just fodder for a lot of insane deaths that will turn even the strongest of stomachs. Once it is all over most people will find themselves disappointed in a movie that showed so much promise. This is one of those films best to avoid all together or at least wait until it comes to Redbox.
If you want to see a ton of violence then you may like this movie. For those who want to see something simple this may be the picture for you. Anyone else though would be better picking something else, trust me this movie is that bad. Hardcore Henry comes out this Friday.
Watch the ridiculously action packed trailer below:
It really wasn’t too bad. My only complaint is the shaky camera at times with it being all “first person” view, but it didn’t bother me too much. Definitely not for the average theater goer who is looking for the “cookie cutter” deep story, “run of the mill” character development, and all the other stuff everyone expects in a movie… and I would like to stress that there is a plot/story. I have seen reviews claiming there isn’t one reviewing based off of walking out of the theater 30 minutes into it which is like rating a “food recipe” online… Read more »
I scrolled through a list of recent movies to pick one to watch to tonight, and I was floored by how many American movies make guns, killing, destruction, torture and other violence a centerpiece of the story. I think it says something about American culture. And it’s not good. There’s something serious messed up about the American psyche.
BTW, I picked a Hindi movie to watch instead.
I’ll admit, if you want a deep movie, this isn’t for you. It was highly enjoyable however, and not at all awful as you say, although I can definitely see and relate to your point of view. I believe the fast panning and other elements that might make your head spin were artistic choices made by the director, in an attempt to fully explore the avant gard potential of the first person point of view. If they don’t appeal to you, that’s fine, however to relegate the movie to the crap bin seems a bit harsh in my opinion. Hardcore… Read more »