If you’ve seen the trailer for Hardcore Henry, you know exactly what to expect. It is a brisk, 90-minute adrenaline rush that’ll either make you giggle with twisted delight or give you a massive headache. Probably both. There isn’t anything to connect to beyond the visceral thrill of its first-person perspective and insane action, but if you’re in the right mindset (inebriation couldn’t hurt) you will have quite the experience. That being said, if the idea of watching an ultra-violent action flick from a first-person perspective doesn't excite you, you will absolutely want to take a pass.
A man wakes up in a laboratory with no recollection of who he is. A beautiful woman named Estelle (Haley Bennett), who claims to be the man’s wife, informs him (us) that his name is Henry and he was the victim of a horrible accident. It’s not clear what the accident was, but it required a number of ‘upgrades’ to Henry’s body to ensure his survival. Fitted with a new robotic arm and leg, Henry is stronger and faster, though we never really get a good explanation as to the extent of his new ‘abilities.’
It doesn’t take too long for things to go wrong. Estelle’s lab is invaded by the sadistic Akan (Danila Kozlovsky, though for the longest time I could have sworn he was Ewan McGregor), who murders her partners and very nearly murders her and Henry. The couple manages to escape, but Estelle is captured not too long after. It’s up to Henry, with the aid of a mysterious man named Jimmy (a brilliant Sharlto Copley) to save his wife and take Akan out.
That’s pretty much everything I gathered from Hardcore Henry story-wise. It’s a miracle I gathered anything at all as there’s hardly an explanation for anything happening. Who’s Akan? Where did he get his supernatural powers? Who was Henry before his accident? Why do we care? By the time the film is over, we have a better idea of just what the hell was going on, but withholding this information until the very end makes it difficult to care much about the ultimate outcome.
What Hardcore Henry has going for it is that it’s absolutely nutso. The action and stunts are spectacular and there’s this manic energy that keeps things feeling fresh, regardless of the repetition. It feels like the greatest video game movie of all time; even its plot resembles one, with scene after scene of Jimmy instructing Henry to ‘go to this point on the map and kill everyone along the way.’ Its only reason for existing is as a demonstration of what an action movie filmed entirely from the first-person perspective would look like.
Does the gimmick wear out its welcome? Sure. But the overall sense of fun is hard to deny, even without anything to invest in emotionally. If you recognize Hardcore Henry for what it is – and it really isn’t much more than an absurdly entertaining technical exercise - and take it at face value, you won’t be disappointed.
FINAL RATING: 3/5
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