Rarely does a film's opening credits tell the audience exactly what sort of experience they’re in for. Hardcore Henry does exactly that with in-your-face, cringe-worthy, gleeful detail. It also implies that it’s about to offer a cinematic experience unlike any other; a declaration it lives up to.
Told you it was in your face.
…what’s that?
Yes, I said “you”. Hardcore Henry is shot entirely in POV
perspective, akin to a live-action first-person shooter game. First-time feature
film director and main screenwriter Ilya Naishuller really pushes POV gaming aesthetic
in every frame, complete with the pastiche that goes with it. The film, shot
entirely with GoPro Hero3 Black Edition cameras, allows you the viewer to
experience the film in “real time” as Henry does. This conceit is the film’s
main draw. Don't expect character depth
or plot complexity save for the requisite twists and turns that you would
expect in an action film in general, or a “shoot-‘em-up” game in particular. Do
expect unrelenting, high-octane pacing from start to finish, wherein the quiet
moments, few that there are, are still taut with tension.
This is the quiet part
While revolutionary, this first-person perspective is not
without its weaknesses. The first issue is that of cinematic limitation. A film
narrative is a fixed one. One may mix
and match scenes in different chronological order as opposed to linear
storytelling (think Pulp Fiction), but no matter how the frames are stitched, the film is still
fixed in narrative. In games, video or
otherwise, the player has to make choices in order to advance. The problem here, and this will be especially
true for avid gamers, is that the lack of audience control mutes the experience’s
potency. The protagonist-as-viewer is illusory because there is no emotional connection
to Henry himself. Viewers are only as emotionally invested in a narrative as
they allow themselves to be; especially in cases when one is experiencing first
person events visually, but not viscerally. It is not happening to the real “you”,
which is the central problem with telling stories in the second person (in a literary
narrative) or in the first person (visually). If we're not completely vested as
a character by proxy, then we can't really feel what the protagonist is feeling.
To his credit, Naishuller tries to approximate this, but he can only do so
much. The viewer is not the protagonist; just along for the ride. While the “golly-gee-whiz”
visuals are compellingly impressive, one cannot fully immerse themselves into
whatever Henry's emotional journey is, if there is one. Quite honestly, this is
one of those few films that I would recommend seeing it in 3D (if you can
manage it; see below), if available, and more importantly, worth the extra
expense to experience it in Dbox seating, as that will be the closest thing you
will get to a virtually reality experience here.
Um, skip the Dbox for this moment.
The second issue is more individually subjective. While kudos
go to the various-GoPro attired stuntmen who performed the dazzling stunt work
and the editing of Steve Mirkovich, without whom the film would have no power
or urgency. They do their job so well that this film could have had “Headache
Henry” as an alternate title. In fact,
I'm surprised that there weren’t disclaimers at the film’s beginning because
the film is so frenetic and spastic that it could possibly trigger an epileptic
seizure and some people (and that’s without 3D and Dbox). Further, the point of
view doesn’t always allow for a clear understanding of the events that goes on
around Henry. Granted, that’s part and parcel with attempting to mirror real
life. You don’t necessarily see what’s going on around you or see how it physically
affects Henry, but this is a very minor quibble because the film moves with the
speed of a cross-country Japanese super-train without stops; you’re carried to
the next series of events while you’re still trying to process what just
happened. Note there will be situations
wherein the “whys” go unanswered. Roll with it.
The film’s main draw is the experience, and the director
gleefully ratchets the action, gore, and absurdity to upper-Tarantino-ian levels;
the latter of which is where most of the film’s humor resides. Naishuller
pushes the boundaries of taste (and decency), but in such an absurd fashion
that it strays into camp, in turns reveling in even as it mock’s its misogynistic
and testosterone-fueled conventions. Film composer Darya Charusha’s musical choices match the tonality of this quixotic,
chaotic match up, mixing Junkie XL scoring with soulful, old school classics
like Queen’s "Don’t Stop Me Now” and the Temptations’ “My Girl” in situations so incongruous
for the scenes they’re used they render them hilariously.
Cue Adele's "Hello"
As far as dramatis personae, the characters are as superficial as you would expect
in a video game (That’s not a criticism). As “Estelle”, Haley Bennet’s
character is just above stock. She starts Henry on his journey and serves as
damsel in distress. As “Akan”, Andrei Dementiev seems to have not only studied
at the Jesse Eisenberg School of Comic Book Villainy, but seems compelled to
surpass his lessons.
Tim Roth has a brief but amusing cameo as Henry’s father. The best performance in this film Sharlto Copley’s “Jimmy” as he provides what little heart the film has; a performance infused with mania, levity, and surprising pathos. But then, who frickin' cares? For a story like this, it’s all expository stuff anyway.
Lex who?
Tim Roth has a brief but amusing cameo as Henry’s father. The best performance in this film Sharlto Copley’s “Jimmy” as he provides what little heart the film has; a performance infused with mania, levity, and surprising pathos. But then, who frickin' cares? For a story like this, it’s all expository stuff anyway.
On the whole, Hardcore
Henry is a gonzo, absurdist joy ride filled with non-stop thrills. While that statement may be a lazy cliche in
film criticism circles, Henry truly merits that description. The movie will either be a hit or miss, depending on one’s
feelings about video games and nausea-inspiring visuals. Henry
runs the risk of being viable only for a niche market. On the other hand, we
could be witnessing the birth of a trend in cinema. Either way, this is not a film for everyone. Despite the onset of a
headache, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, whereas a fellow film critic left mid-film
in disgust, saying that he found the entire affair sophomoric and moronic. Whatever the opinion, one cannot deny that this film is dazzling, and dizzying, and disorienting. On the whole, Hardcore Henry is a an extremely well-executed, if somewhat jarring rollicking
romp that
should be applauded for its ambition and scope, if nothing else. It’s a
cinematic roller coaster that hooks you by the naughty bits and doesn’t let
go until literally the very end.
