Hardcore Henry

Hardcore Henry

Starring Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth

Directed by Ilya Naishuller

The Story:
Henry is a half-man, half-cyborg soldier who suffers from amnesia, and when he wakes up he's being fixed by his wife Estelle (Haley Bennett), before the compound is infiltrated by evil telekinetic mastermind Akan (Danila Kozlovsky), who is breeding the super soldiers for an eventual war.  Henry escapes, but Estelle is kidnapped, and he meets Jimmy (Sharlto Copley), who seems to know Henry and what he is.  He helps Henry battle through hordes of Akan's men to get to his wife.

The Synopsis:
Russian action film "Hardcore Henry" is the first full-length film shot entirely from a first person point-of-view, by using a mounted GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera.  It's unique in the style, and the action and stunts were truly amazing, but there was no real story.  However, for a film like this, there really isn't a story needed.  It set out to achieve its goal - to be a mindless action romp that's fun to watch and something to see when you want to shut down your brain.

The story, as I said earlier, is rather simple.  Save the wife, save the world.  There's nothing more needed than that, as Henry spends the entirety of the film battling through hordes of evil henchmen with guns, bricks, knives, swords, grenades, and anything else he can find along the way.  The deaths are rather brutal and graphic, and all tie into the mantra the movie wants to tell.  The human actors on screen are pretty much caricatures of action films, with the exception of Sharlto Copley's Jimmy. 

From the first moment we meet him, we can tell something ain't right - mostly because he dies in the first few minutes, only to meet up with Henry again later.  He dies again, and then reappears like its nothing.  While it doesn't make a whole lot of sense during, it's made clear near the end, when the film takes another odd turn with the strangest musical number you'll probably ever see.  Copley really relishes his role here - be it a stoner, homeless man, rocker, or one of the many other personas he creates - and once again shows why he's the darling for the indie film circuit (such as his roles in "District 9," "Elysium" and "Europa Report."

For many, this is not the film for them, mostly because of the first-person GoPro style, it'll probably make many nauseated and discombobulated, as Henry tumbles, runs and falls throughout the film.  For others, it's basically watching your friend play a "Call of Duty" style videogame, and impatiently waiting for your turn.  Still, if you can stomach it, it's definitely worth a watch just to appreciate the style of it.

The Summary:
While not great by any means, "Hardcore Henry" is a unique action film that should be viewed at least once - if you can literally stomach it.

The Score: B