Hardcore Henry

Anyone who has played a first-person shooter video game knows the drill: You are introduced to the objective through a video narrative, then you are set loose to explore, kill, maim, and upgrade your weapons. Then there is a short break in the action with another video narrative, then the violence continues. “Hardcore Henry” is essentially a first-person shooter video game, but unfortunately, the viewer has no control over the absurdity that explodes like one of Gallagher’s watermelons all over the screen.

After a pretty clever intro montage that is stylized like a James Bond sequence, only full of slow-motion acts of gratuitous violence, Henry wakes up in a lab. Unable to speak, the nodding of the camera makes it seem as if we, the audience are Henry. Pretty cool idea, but it devolves quickly. We are given a quick explanation of his situation, but it truly isn’t enough to explain some of the more grandiose sci-fi ideas attached to the story, and frankly, I didn’t even care to learn more. I came for the stunt work, the Go-Pro perspective, and some martial arts. I wasn’t disappointed in that regard.

Henry is basically a lab-created Robocop, but he’s not a cop, and we never see anything more than his tattooed arms and his blood-splattered white tennis shoes. We never learn anything about his past, or his personality, and he never gains a voice. He handles weapons like a pro however, and follows the narrative prompts of his guide, Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) who is honestly the only truly redeeming part of the film. Jimmy continues to show up time and time again in different forms, and what begins as a head-scratching experience is explained by the end, although to call it ridiculous and disappointing would be an understatement.

Henry’s rampage of super-violence takes him through checkpoint after checkpoint, much like a Call of Duty mission. He plays with no fewer than a dozen different types of weapons throughout the way, expending countless rounds and lobbing grenades like they are candy, cutting through the foot soldiers on his way to rescuing his damsel in distress, and ultimately facing off against his nemesis in the final battle.

The antagonist, Akan (Danila Koslovsky) is a long-haired Russian albino with a non-descript accent, an eerie resemblance to Crispin Glover, and superpowers. We are never filled in on the back story of the powers, and because everything else about this film is ultra-realistic, I was perplexed. Sarcasm. The attempt at first-person realism is thwarted by the abstract half-baked science fiction plot and I left more confused than I probably should have, but it didn’t matter. I got what I paid for.

Novice writer/director Ilya Naishuller takes a page from producer Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”, “Nightwatch”) in this fully-automatic Gatling gun-shredded carnival of carnage. It is nonsense at worst, and is a Russian “Rumble in the Bronx” at best. Let me explain. “Rumble” introduced America to Jackie Chan back in 1995. It was innovative and quirky, and brought Hong Kong action into mainstream Hollywood. “Hardcore Henry” does the same thing with a Russian style. It is definitely something different than the norm and will likely be a trailblazer to a new genre of action (depending on the box office take).

The low point for me was just before the final fight. Henry is surrounded by an army of white-clad clones, all of them looking like Klitchko brothers, indistinguishable from each other. They start to fight, and Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” comes on, completely ruining the song for me from this day on. What was once reserved for eighth grade graduations and inspirational slideshows has been tarnished and will now have me associating Henry shooting, stabbing, and blowing up hundreds of stuntmen with a 1970’s classic rock anthem. Thanks Ilya.

All that said, there is a place for this film. I can admire the originality and ambition. I can admire the range of acting that Sharlto Copley demonstrates. I can admire the vision of the director. That’s about it. Your teenage boys and twenty-something stoners who are adept at video games will love this film. For everyone else, it’s like eating too much Indian food; it’s delicious at the time, but leaves you full of deep regret and indigestion. 3/10.