Review // Hardcore Henry

[projekktor id=’23704′]

Hardcore Henry lives up to its title. A genre piece made especially for first person shooter video game enthusiasts, Hardcore Henry takes audiences on a thrilling adventure unlike anything experienced in theatres before. Adrenaline packed, the film is non-stop action set against a killer soundtrack.

Shot by strapping Go-Pro cameras to stunt men, Hardcore Henry puts viewers into the shoes of the title character Henry. A newly resurrected cyborg soldier, Henry is thrust into a quest to save his scientist wife (Haley Bennett) from the super powered warlord Akan (Danila Kozlovsky) that funded her research. While Akan wants to utilize Henry’s tech to create an army, Henry just wants to get his wife back and reboot his missing memory. Henry is aided in his quest by Sharlto Copley’s Jimmy who acts as the guide NPC (non-playable character) in the video game/movie hybrid. Jimmy is not only Henry’s source of information, he also provides much of the comic relief and dialogue for the film. Copley is in his element, and a joy to watch as he shifts through the many personalities of the bizarre character.

While the jarring motion in the film does make it a bit hard to watch (definitely not one for those who are prone to motion sickness) the constant action makes the 96 minutes fly by. Where such little plot development usually impairs a film, it has the opposite effect on Hardcore Henry. There is just enough information to take viewers from one task to another to achieve the final boss showdown that has Henry actually tearing a man apart. High levels of violence and jarring visuals are bound to turn many people off from Hardcore Henry – and that’s by design. Hardcore Henry isn’t a film for everyone, it’s cleverly made to speak to a specific audience. So, if what is described above appeals to your sensibilities than Hardcore Henry is a film worth checking out on the big screen.

Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.