Hardcore Henry (2015) Review

“Hardcore Henry” Theatrical Poster

Director: Ilya Naishuller
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth, Andrei Dementiev, Cyrus Arnold, Ilya Naishuller, Will Stewart, Dasha Charusha, Svetlana Ustinova
Running Time: 96 min.

By Zach Nix

Hardcore Henry, written and directed by Russian musician/filmmaker, Ilya Naishuller, will go down in history as the first feature length first person point of view (POV) action film ever made. Naishuller previously experimented with the first person style in the music videos for Biting Elbow’s songs, “Bad Motherf*****” and “The Stampede.” While those videos are energetic and momentous, most people wouldn’t dare to expand said first person style from short film to feature length, simply because of how daunting the task would be. However, that challenge didn’t stop Naishuller, as he has blown up his idea from a short film sans dialog to a feature length picture with the energy of his music videos. After so many found footage horror films featuring first person camera techniques over the last decade, it’s about time that someone apply the style to an action film.

The video game-esque film is not only directed by newcomer Naishuller, but produced by successful Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov of Night Watch, Day Watch, Wanted, and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter fame. Hardcore Henry injects the same wave of energy into action cinema that Bekmambetov’s own Russian/American co-productions have done in the past. While the film is undeniably impressive from a technical standpoint, it features little to no character or story to pull the viewer in. Therefore, those who are willing to forgive a lack of compelling drama will find them selves dazzled by highly stylized action unlike much they’ve seen before.

Hardcore Henry starts off when Henry, as seen through the viewer’s eyes, hence the first person POV, wakes up on an operating table. His wife, Estelle (Haley Bennett), puts him back together using robotic ligaments and reveals to him that he was injured. Before Estelle can activate his voice chip (thereby enhancing the viewer’s immersion into the film), Akran (Danila Kozlovsky), the telekinetic villain of the picture, breaks into the lab and threatens to kill Henry and Estelle. After Henry and Estelle are separated, he sets out to rescue her. With the help of the ever changing Jimmy (Sharlto Copley), Henry gets all of the advice and help that he needs to keep his cyborg body alive long enough to take down Akran and save his wife in a plot that adheres to contemporary video game logic like no film before it.

Naishuller’s debut feature is truly an exploitation/grindhouse picture for the millennial generation in every way possible. The film is a gloriously trashy action fest, filled with gory and over the top kills, excessive cursing and nudity, as well as a body count higher than most video games. Therefore, video gamers and members of the gaming community will find themselves right at home with the film, as it possesses the energy of a first person video game, as well as a “screw you” attitude that will appeal to younger millennials.

Speaking of millennials, the film represents the pros and cons of the millennial generation, as seen through the pros of its stylistic ingenuity, hence the impressive first person camera technique, and the cons of its short mindedness and weak attention span, hence the rapid pace and high amount of sharp turns in the story. There are rarely any breaks in the entire film, as the narrative is somewhat disorienting and constantly shifting. Once Henry meets up with the source of Jimmy’s avatar characters, the film starts to take shape and make more sense, which than leads into an insane, but expected, finale of action and mayhem. It may be a double edged sword, but Hardcore Henry proves that as long as other cinematic to video game adaptations fail to recreate video game thrills, than this is the best bet for cinematic gaming, as it at least offers up the non-stop thrills and believable immersion of a first person shooter.

Unfortunately, style and energy can only get a film so far when story and character are nowhere in sight. Besides some light exposition, Hardcore Henry offers up little story beyond that of a voiceless protagonist who fights off hordes of enemies and a telekinetic super villain in order to save his wife. I guess that’s the trade off you make when you remove charisma and voice work from your lead character when you want to make the film as immersive as possible from a first person stand point. Therefore, only fans of video games and action cinema will find anything to latch onto here, as those hoping for character development or an engaging story will want to look elsewhere.

That being said, one can’t help but admire the incredible technical achievements of the film. While I initially felt that the POV camera work was a tad disorienting, I eventually settled into it and found myself enjoying it. I even forgot I was watching a first person action film after awhile, as the constant bombardment of action in my face became a norm. As for the film’s stunt work and action, it’s quite a mixed bag. Some of the fights and shootouts are immersive and realistic, while others are absurd and wildly uneven. Most of the action towards the beginning of the film is quite empty and hollow as Henry is constantly going from location to location without much explanation. However, when Henry has a clear mission, such as when he needs to protect the crippled Jimmy in an elevator shaft set within an abandoned hotel, the action excels and the film fully realizes its first person potential. There’s no denying that every action scene in the film is impeccably crafted, but Hardcore Henry’s madness works best when the viewer has something to care about, which is unfortunately few and far between.

Although it goes without saying that Hardcore Henry is a violent film, it should probably be emphasized how “hardcore” the film truly is. Those with a weak stomach will probably want to stay away from this one, as the gore borders on horror territory at times. Bodies are shredded into nothingness, limbs are ripped apart, and heads are spliced in half in the most gruesome ways possible. Fans of the V/H/S horror anthology series will find themselves right at home with this one, as it heavily resembles the shorts found within that series. The film’s first persona camera techniques, coupled with its no limits gore and lack of story, almost makes it feel like one of the short V/H/S segments was blown up to feature length. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ilya Naishuller appears as a director on the next V/H/S or ABC’s of Death sequel, as his no holds barred madness and creative ingenuity is perfect for those horror series.

On a final note, it should be mentioned that although the stunt work and action is the true star of the film, there are two noteworthy performances amidst all of the mayhem. Sharlto Copley plays Jimmy, a scientist who can switch between avatar-like bodies of his own. Jimmy has the most screen time and dialog of any character in the film and provides most of the humor to great effect. Jimmy can almost be seen as the second player to Henry’s player one, or even as a tutorial narrator constantly helping him out on his mission. Copley, who has proven himself an immensely diverse actor within director Neil Blomkamp’s daring science fiction films, fits well within the mad world that is Hardcore Henry.

The other notable performance comes from Danila Nozlovsky as the lead villain, Akran, a telekinetic psychopath. Nozlovsky is so over the top and unpredictable within the film, that his character will most likely make the viewer feel quite terrified and unsettled, especially when he hurls a naked woman at the screen with no care. He also has telekinetic powers for some reason, which is never explained. This disregard for reason or explanation plays into the video game mindset of the film, as anything goes. Nozlovsky also strongly resembles and sounds like Tommy Wiseau, the cult favorite actor/director of the most infamous “so bad, it’s good” film, The Room. Therefore, Nozlovsky’s similarity to Wiseau adds a whole other layer of entertainment to the picture. If only he spouted the line, “Oh, hi Henry!”

It was interesting to finally see a first person action film, although I don’t think that more should be made unless they can be improved upon, or that the style even become a trend or catch on like found footage horror films. If I were to compare Naishuller’s first person action style to an actual trend in modern gaming, than it would be that of the walking simulator, as exemplified by games like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and Firewatch. While it may be interesting to experience a story by walking around within it through a first person POV, it shouldn’t become the norm by which all games are made. Much the same way that Hardcore Henry’s first person POV defines its action, traditional action filmmaking will never go out of style. Therefore, Hardcore Henry makes for a fun distraction for those looking for a temporary alternative to the norm, much the same way that found footage horror films differ from their traditional horror counterparts.

While Hardcore Henry may be getting torn apart by other critics and not scoring the box office dollars its producers hoped its gimmick hook would score, the film is destined to become a cult classic amongst fans of action cinema and video games. My personal opinion lands somewhere between those of the critics who dislike it and the adolescent millennials who enjoy it. I acknowledge that the rapid pace, lack of story, and non-existent character development is disappointing, but heavily enjoy the superficial action and stylistic tendencies of the film. All in all, the film is a fun experience, and a true midnight movie for the cult movie crowd. Unfortunately, Hardcore Henry is the definition of style over substance, no matter how cliché that may be to admit.

Zach Nix’s Rating: 6/10