Hardcore Henry (Ilya Naishuller)

[TGM]

HARDCORE HENRY

Director: Ilya Naishuller

imdb

[TGM]

Well this was just about the most mind numbingly miserable experience. I think I might be getting too old for this sorta bullshit...

[Ivan Drago]

Good, but it's a one and done for me. It does borrow a few sequences from much better action movies, but they were organic enough to its 'story' that they didn't bother me. What did bother me was by the time the dance sequence comes along, I thought they were trying too hard to reach the awesome absurdity of Crank 2. A lack of production value (said scene is shot on a low-res GoPro) didn't help. That said, it was balls to the wall action that I enjoyed for its 90 minute runtime.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Well, that dance sequence was straight-up theft from Neveldine/Taylor's Gamer, which also had a character burst into an unexpected rendition of "Under My Skin."

Fans of the Crank flicks might get something out of this flick, but in a diluted way. I think the film would've been better had it made some attempt to develop Henry as a character. Someone brought up the comparison to the remake of Maniac, which was POV but still found a lot of room to develop its main character in a satisfying way. Ultimately I approve of Sharlto Copley's mugging, some of the video game touches, the unexplained telekinesis, the plane reveal, and especially an unexpected scene with a horse. But there was also the nausea, the headache, and how the film felt like I was watching someone play a derivative shoot-em-up.

[Dukefrukem]

Good, but it's a one and done for me.

My thoughts exactly, which is why I can't recommend it.

[Spinal]

Couldn't make it through this one. Abandoned it after 55 minutes.

It is probably pointless to observe that the film is ludicrous or humorless or poorly written. These things would be largely irrelevant if the film delivered on the one thing it promises and that is to create an exhilarating, visceral experience. Sadly, the film fails in this regard perhaps more than any other. Because the film is basically incoherent, there is no reason to care about any of this nonsense. The violence is tedious, repetitive and completely lacking in tension. Because of the conceit, the film is a chore to watch and it's difficult to figure out exactly what is going on half the time. I didn't quit the film because I thought it was bad, so much as I quit the film because it was making me sleepy.

If nothing else, it made me appreciate Enter the Void all the more.

[Winston*]

Why did you watch this film Spinal?

[Spinal]

Why did you watch this film Spinal?

Haley Bennett

[Ivan Drago]

Good, but it's a one and done for me. It does borrow a few sequences from much better action movies, but they were organic enough to its 'story' that they didn't bother me. What did bother me was by the time the dance sequence comes along, I thought they were trying too hard to reach the awesome absurdity of Crank 2. A lack of production value (said scene is shot on a low-res GoPro) didn't help. That said, it was balls to the wall action that I enjoyed for its 90 minute runtime.

Time has not done this movie any favors. The more I think about it, the more I hate it.

[Grouchy]

Well yeah, this was pretty bad. I think the horse riding and maybe the chase through rooftops sequences are pretty fun moments the filmmakers have with the POV gimmick, but the movie is incoherent, dull, repetitive, it undermines its own storylines many times for shock value that it doesn't even reach and, overall, it's just a waste of the concept.