'Hardcore Henry' Delivers Grade A Fix For Action Junkies

The new film “Hardcore Henry” (opening April 8 in select San Diego theaters) has been touted as the first ever GoPro point-of-view movie where audiences are in the shoes of a man fighting for his life.

I have a confession. Action movies keep me sane. They keep me from going postal at work; from road rage on the freeway; and from killing people talking or using cell phones in movie theaters. I appreciate smart action films (“Casino Royale”), art house action films (“Seven Samurai”), stylish action films (anything by John Woo) and funny ones (most of Jackie Chan’s work). But sometimes I just need one that's nothing more than a joyous adrenaline ride; one that has nothing more on its mind than emphasizing the motion in motion pictures like “Crank: High Voltage,” "Live Free or Die Hard," or “Fast Five.”

And now along comes “Hardcore Henry.”

The film announces its intent with its opening credits. We get a montage of super slow motion graphic violence that makes clear "hardcore" refers to how the film plans to depict the action, so prepare for something intense and relentless.

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As the credits end, we wake up in Henry’s body in a Moscow lab with an arm and leg missing, no memory and unable to talk. But no worries. Henry’s about to be upgraded to the kind of cyborg status that would put “The Six Million Dollar Man’s” bionics to shame, plus he’s built for combat. That’s really all there is to “Hardcore Henry.” Oh, there’s a meager attempt at plot involving Henry’s wife and some baddie trying to steal the technology that makes Henry run but that’s all just a pretense to have a guy running around Moscow with a GoPro strapped to his head while everyone seems hell bent on killing him.

“Hardcore Henry” uses the small and highly mobile GoPro camera technology to put you in the shoes of the main character. The film plays like a first person video game where you’re constantly under attack. The film began as a music video by Russian-born filmmaker Ilya Naishuller called “Bad Motherf*cker.” He made the video for his punk band Biting Elbows and it was told entirely from the point of view of the protagonist. The video went viral and caught the attention of producer/director Timur Bekmambetov (“Night Watch,” “Day Watch”), who produced "Hardcore Henry." I like that this is an action film made in Russia for a global audience.

The film’s not for anyone who gets nauseous watching handheld camera footage or who’s looking for insightful drama. This is simply a grade A, 100 percent pure adrenaline fix for action junkies. It pairs nicely with “Crank: High Voltage,” which is really the only other film I can think of that captures the sensation and the rush you get from playing an intense video game. Both films are wildly unrealistic and the protagonists keep “dying” and then just powering back up to continue on. The laws of physics no longer apply and you either go along for the ride or jump out of the moving vehicle. Plus, because the victims are essentially nameless, faceless, and at times even not human, you can disconnect from the violence and throw away your moral compass. This is not how I would generally want to see violence depicted on screen but every now and then it’s not bad to indulge in the cathartic release of mindless violence.

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But for as wild and reckless as “Hardcore Henry” appears, what I appreciate is how much work Naishuller actually put into the film. I admire films that set out to do something very specific and do it well. Naishuller wanted to make a first-person action film and it could have been just a gimmick and nothing more. But “Hardcore Henry” boasts a clever sense of humor, as well as fun, that makes it quite entertaining. The action appears spontaneous but is carefully worked out with a mix of real stunts, practical effects and CGI.

By presenting the world strictly from Henry’s limited perspective it smartly avoids having to explain much. We wake up to a strange world just as Henry does. We don’t know what’s happening so we just have to accept the world as it’s presented to us. There’s amazing cyborg technology, the bad guy has some weird telekinetic powers, and someone named Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) seems to get killed and reappear almost as often as Kenny in “South Park.” But since Henry’s on the run from pretty much the first scene on and he can’t even speak to ask questions, we don’t really get much time to stop for plot exposition. And in an action film, I am perfectly fine with that so long as the film remains true to its own inner logic, and “Hardcore Henry” does that.

Naishuller also builds in moments where Henry stops and takes a breather so the audience can let their eyes rest for a minute. The film also clocks in around 90 minutes (it could have even been shorter) so the thin storyline doesn’t have to get stretched too far.

As I learned when shooting a story at a parkour gym recently, using a GoPro strapped to someone engaged in fast and furious activity doesn’t really provide the best point of view for capturing action. Jackie Chan understands that frequently a static wide shot held for the bulk of the action delivers some of the most impressive footage. So Naishuller sacrifices certain things to stick to his first-person point of view. We may not be able to appreciate the fight choreography as we would in a Hong Kong action film but we are often impressed by Henry’s mad parkour skills and by the chaotic onslaught of violence he has to endure. The choice also ends up giving the mute Henry (an action hero doesn’t really need to speak) a certain likable personality and the film a crazy, frantic energy.

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Ultimately the film is a revenge tale and not surprisingly we want to see Henry get his revenge. Although we only see his face once (that I remember), we do develop a bond with the bewildered and beleaguered Henry who wakes up in complete bafflement and never quite shakes that confusion. We empathize with him not just because we see the world through his eyes but also because he seems like an innocent who doesn’t know who to trust.

“Hardcore Henry” is rated R for what the MPAA calls “non-stop bloody brutal violence and mayhem, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use.” That could also double for the film’s tag line. It’s a film most likely aimed at a young audience with a bias toward gaming, but I am neither young nor a gamer and I still thoroughly enjoyed it. But I am an action junkie so I have a bias. I loved how Naishuller gives the genre a fresh spin. I don’t think I’d like to see this approach put into much further use but it worked in this very particular case. I don’t see how much further the GoPro point of view can be innovated beyond this, although perhaps Naishuller or someone else will find a way. But for now, I will just savor the rush of “Hardcore Henry” and the vicarious thrill of being thrown into relentless fight for survival.