“Hardcore Henry”: A Unique and Exciting Movie Experience
April 28, 2016
In the feature length film by Ilya Naishuller, the audience is put in the perspective of Henry, a half-man half-cyborg with no recollection of his past and a pretty sweet new robotic arm. In what could be one of the most unique and exciting movie experiences I have had in ages, “Hardcore Henry” grabs you by the hair and takes you on the action movie of the year.
With literal nonstop action, “Hardcore Henry” will leave you at the edge of your seat almost in laughter at the intensity of each scene.
For a movie completely shot in the first person, most audiences would assume that it would be a very “shaky cam” experience much like that of “Cloverfield” and “The Blair Witch Project.” This movie is very different in the sense that although it is completely in first person perspective, the camera is mounted on the head so that it stays level throughout so that after the first few minutes of the movie the audience can adjust.
I have only great things to say about this movie, “Hardcore Henry” exceeded my expectations tenfold and left me wanting to turn around after the movie to catch the next showing. This movie comes with a stellar soundtrack, incredible visuals, heart pounding action sequences and just the right amount of comedy to make this a truly fun experience.
Henry’s cybernetic arm is attached at the beginning of the movie to strengthen his skills and power.
The show-stealer and unanimous fan favorite is the mysterious Jimmy, played by Sharlto Copley, who breaks every rule in the book on type-casting playing a wide range of roles that ultimately stole the show.
In my opinion, what really made this movie special for me is that it all seemed like one take; rather than being shot at different times and eventually pieced together, it appears to be one long journey that Henry and the audience face together. The honorable mention to this movie would have to be its gut-wrenching parkour stunts that really caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up as I stared in awe because all of those stunts were real.
For the first time ever, I am giving a movie a 5/5 star rating for displaying and delivering a movie experience that I will not soon forget. I will recommend this to teens and adults who love intense action, light comedy and unique directing styles. Hopefully, we will get to see more movies like this in the near future.