I watched the movie Hardcore Henry, dir. by Ilya Naishuller,
released 2016. I saw it in the movie
theater with my best bro, Mike when it first came out and recently received it
on blu-ray.
Right from the start, you are inundated with the first person perspective right in the opening titles and this sets the stage for a movie that is shot entirely from the first person perspective. Though not the first to do this (as I learned from the commentary track of director Naishuller and Sharlto Copley), that distinction belongs to The Lady in the Lake from 1947, which is a Philip Marlowe mystery thriller, starring Robert Montgomery, as Marlowe, through his eyes. Though where that movie seemed a bit clunky, Hardcore Henry does something slightly different and much more action packed. “Action packed” does not even begin to tip the scales on what Naishuller accomplished with this film.
Using Go-Pro cameras and stunt men, Naishuller extended the format from his music videos for his band, Biting Elbows, into a 90 minute ride of a man who is cybernetic and stops at nothing to rescue his girlfriend from a telekinetic megalomaniac, with the help of Jimmy, along the way. The story is simple.
I’m not going to mince words here, it is violent. Practically gratuitous. Where the story is simple, it is the visuals and the innovation that is what sticks out the most from this film. The very idea that this movie is made with GoPro cameras mounted on a rig to a stuntman’s/actor’s head and the audience is “Henry” chasing people down is amazing to watch. It is a very visceral experience when you see it the first time (for me it was because, like I said above, I was lucky enough to see it in the theater so it was much bigger on the screen and you saw more, in a sense, that doesn’t translate well to the small screen, unless you have a larger television/projector screen).
I liked that it is easy to understand, in terms of story and character motivations, and that it doesn’t bog down with a lot of exposition. As was pointed out in the commentary, you only know what Henry knows, which is virtually nothing, and are experiencing everything along with “him” so there is a kind of surprise as the viewer goes along, which is satisfying in many ways. I also like that it is short, in that it doesn’t go over the top with the length of the story and trying to get fancy with plot devices or twists that also could bog down the simplicity of what is happening. I liked Sharlto’s Jimmy character as the guide, not just because I like Sharlto but because, he helps the ground the story in some reality (this movie is very hyper-realistic) while giving “Henry” enough exposition to keep the story moving along, rather than just a smattering of killing over and over again. The music is very well chosen for a lot of the sequences, 3 of the songs being Biting Elbows songs but for the most part, it adds a sense of urgency to the moments but doesn’t overpower it as with some movies.
Right from the start, you are inundated with the first person perspective right in the opening titles and this sets the stage for a movie that is shot entirely from the first person perspective. Though not the first to do this (as I learned from the commentary track of director Naishuller and Sharlto Copley), that distinction belongs to The Lady in the Lake from 1947, which is a Philip Marlowe mystery thriller, starring Robert Montgomery, as Marlowe, through his eyes. Though where that movie seemed a bit clunky, Hardcore Henry does something slightly different and much more action packed. “Action packed” does not even begin to tip the scales on what Naishuller accomplished with this film.
Using Go-Pro cameras and stunt men, Naishuller extended the format from his music videos for his band, Biting Elbows, into a 90 minute ride of a man who is cybernetic and stops at nothing to rescue his girlfriend from a telekinetic megalomaniac, with the help of Jimmy, along the way. The story is simple.
I’m not going to mince words here, it is violent. Practically gratuitous. Where the story is simple, it is the visuals and the innovation that is what sticks out the most from this film. The very idea that this movie is made with GoPro cameras mounted on a rig to a stuntman’s/actor’s head and the audience is “Henry” chasing people down is amazing to watch. It is a very visceral experience when you see it the first time (for me it was because, like I said above, I was lucky enough to see it in the theater so it was much bigger on the screen and you saw more, in a sense, that doesn’t translate well to the small screen, unless you have a larger television/projector screen).
I liked that it is easy to understand, in terms of story and character motivations, and that it doesn’t bog down with a lot of exposition. As was pointed out in the commentary, you only know what Henry knows, which is virtually nothing, and are experiencing everything along with “him” so there is a kind of surprise as the viewer goes along, which is satisfying in many ways. I also like that it is short, in that it doesn’t go over the top with the length of the story and trying to get fancy with plot devices or twists that also could bog down the simplicity of what is happening. I liked Sharlto’s Jimmy character as the guide, not just because I like Sharlto but because, he helps the ground the story in some reality (this movie is very hyper-realistic) while giving “Henry” enough exposition to keep the story moving along, rather than just a smattering of killing over and over again. The music is very well chosen for a lot of the sequences, 3 of the songs being Biting Elbows songs but for the most part, it adds a sense of urgency to the moments but doesn’t overpower it as with some movies.
This is a hard movie to review because I don’t want to spoil
anything by saying a lot, as with a lot of my reviews. Here, it is imperative that
I stay silent (like Henry) because I want you to experience it like I did.
Though, in that case I would suggest reading this AFTER you see it because when
I saw it, I had NO IDEA what I was in for. All I knew was that I wanted to see
the movie after seeing a quick trailer. This is one of the best movies I saw in
2016, for sure.
This is not a movie for everyone. In fact, when
I saw it, there was a printed out disclaimer on the register that warned if you
get motion sickness, this may not be the movie for you. Indeed, my best bro
Mike experienced it in the first few moments but quickly got over it. I think I
did too in one part but I adjusted fairly quickly as well, which I chalk up to
all the years of playing First Person Shooter games (which I think is
interesting since I have an inner ear disorder that has affected my balance all
of my life).
I would liken it to a theme park ride, much like the Back to the Future ride that used to be at Universal Studios Hollywood. Just sit back and let the story happen.
If you get the chance, I would suggest watching the extras after watching the movie, for extra enjoyment of the time, craftsmanship and artistry it took to make such an interesting film.
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