Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Hardcore Henry Blu-ray Movie Review

Regarding Henry...

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 19, 2016

In the video game world, the first-person shooter genre is just about the hottest thing going, and pretty much has been since the likes of Wolfenstein and Doom splattered blood across PC screens two-plus decades ago. These are games in which the player controls a solider or some other sort of combatant from a first-person point of view, with the eye-level field of view and gun barrel usually the only things the player sees. The games span timeframes, genres, and styles, from classic warfare to modern warfare, from future warfare to otherworldly warfare, from warfare reimagined to cartoonish warfare, from survival warfare to Sci-Fi warfare. Such a perspective is usually not found in cinema, where traditional narrative structures demand a broader field of view limited only by the director's needs and the limitations of shot composition, not the viewpoint of a single character. Yet it seemed only a matter of time until the first-person POV made its way to the movies, and not only in select shots but rather as the only perspective to be seen in the entire film. Director Ilya Naishuller's debut feature Hardcore Henry offers a nonstop first-person perspective and structured around hyperkinetic, nonstop action and violence. The movie's novelty and impressive stunt and action choreography dominate, but are they enough to carry the picture to 90 minutes of unique shoot- and beat-em-up bliss?

Pokemon Go: The Hardcore Version.

Henry awakens in a slick and clean lab, of sorts. He's missing his left arm under the elbow and his left leg under the knee. Apparently, his face was smashed beyond recognition, too. At his side is a woman named Estelle (Haley Bennett), who is not only his nurse, but his wife. Machines attach artificial limbs where he needs them and he gains mobility. As he's about to regain his speech, a team of heavily armed men crash into the room. Henry and Estelle barely escape. Unfortunately, she's kidnapped, and he's forced into a fight for his life, literally. He's told by a man named Jimmy (Sharlto Copley) that he needs to recharge, or die. And so begins his frenetic search for answers, his wife, and the next gun with which to shoot and kill anyone who stands in his way.

Hardcore Henry's video game roots are easy to see, as are its inspirations from other, far greater, Sci-Fi films like RoboCop and Total Recall. Make no mistake that plot plays secondary in Hardcore Henry. Unlike its superior Sci-Fi brethren, and even some of the games from which it draws its inspiration, it has precious little to say about anything. The movie thrives on its visual acumen, its ability to seamlessly create chaos right in front of the camera as an individual jumps, runs, climbs, and shoots his way through impossible obstacles and a parade of bad guys. The film's driving force is its ability to maintain repetition -- not breaking the first-person perspective -- while keeping it as fresh as possible by throwing Henry onto increasingly challenging obstacles and through increasingly impossible odds. But the movie does start to fatigue when it becomes clear that plot plays completely secondary to the spectacle. Sure it's fun to watch, and try to figure out, how the filmmakers accomplish this or that and awe at the movie's daring stunts and seamless transitions, but the shaky-cam style and breathless, relentless pace begin to wear thin and threaten to wear the viewer down. The movie is more experience than it is emotional engagement, more entertainment than it is meaningful moviemaking. It knows its place, plays to its strengths, and doesn't overstay its welcome. It's not anything special beyond the surface, but it doesn't try to be, either.

The movie's singular focus on style, which is essentially the combination of pace and perspective, dominates, and in a way that accentuates the focus and, while not de-emphasizing other storytelling attributes, overwhelms everything else. Technical workmanship is stellar. Even as the movie lacks traditional polish, its ability to dazzle at heights well beyond the capabilities of most traditionally structured Action films is reason enough to watch. Stunt work feels dangerous from start to finish. There's practically no place for the character, or the audience, to stop to breathe. The film's forward-moving kinetic energy is a sight to behold as people, places, and things flash in and out of frame, as it's all so perfectly timed and detailed to keep everything important right in front of the audience as Henry battles and moves through everything the movie throws his way. It's a rare breed motion picture where the behind-the-scenes insight might actually prove more interesting than the movie itself, but for a film that's all about the illusion, maybe it's best to leave that stuff for the archives and simply enjoy Hardcore Henry for what it is and completely surrender to this new breed of movie magic.

Hardcore Henry Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Far from a traditional production with traditional (even "new traditional digital") photography, Hardcore Henry's first-person POV perspective necessitates, in 2016, at least, a lesser sort of image that's lacking the detail and color strengths that are mostly exclusive to larger, less agile photographic equipment. Universal's Blu-ray transfer reflects the movie's inherent limitations, yielding an image that's nowhere near as crisp or visually articulate as most other movies. Details are adequately sharp but finer textures almost always get lost. Basic faces, clothes, and urban elements rarely find the sort of tactile, involved texturing viewers have come to expect. Likewise, color saturation is comparatively poor. Never does the palette really pop, settling for meager, basic shades that translate basic information but hardly deliver any kind of serious punch of vibrancy. Black levels struggle to maintain depth and flesh tones lack fullness. Noise, macroblocking, and aliasing are issues, but never to any severe extent. For the movie's style and structure, this is close to a best-case scenario for the Blu-ray release.

Hardcore Henry Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hardcore Henry's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is involved and exciting, easily the highlight of this release's technical package. With so much going on, and sound so important to reinforcing the movie's point-of-view structure, it's a shame that Universal settled for a basic 5.1 track rather than a 7.1 or, even better, DTS:X or Dolby Atmos track with overhead channels. As it is, there's hardly room for complaint. The track is full and detailed, with action popping from every channel and the track engineered to compliment the first-person perspective. What Henry hears, the listener hears. Gunfire erupts all over the stage. Clarity is striking as shots ring out and impact surfaces all around the listening area. The low end is practically relentless in support. Music is likewise active and widely spaced. It's a bit sharp but seemingly by nature. Bass is active and deep underneath. Mild atmospherics chime in on occasion, but the adrenaline-fueled activity dominates. Dialogue is fine, a bit shaky like the music but adequately delivered within the movie's structural parameters.

Hardcore Henry Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Hardcore Henry contains two commentaries, deleted scenes, and a "fan chat" supplement. A voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy is included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, DD 2.0): Underground Parking Garage Fight (1:39), Sniper Jimmy's Elevator Joke (1:41), Henry Shoots Mercenary (1:36), and Akan's First Death (3:02).
• Fan Chat (1080p, DD 2.0, 12:25): Actor Sharlto Copley and Writer/Director Ilya Naishuller answer a handful of fan questions.
• Audio Commentary: Director/Producer Ilya Naishuller delivers a well versed track that covers the movie in some detail, beginning with the film's unique opening titles and following on with technical details, casting and performances, visual effects, challenges of the shoot, struggles and interference on location, editing and pacing, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Director/Producer Ilya Naishuller and Star/Executive Producer Sharlto Copley cover much of the same information found in the first track, but the added participant helps to further a conversation and insight beyond the stories found in the solo track.

Hardcore Henry Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hardcore Henry is all about motion and perspective, kinetic energy and nonstop thrills. Stunts, not story, dominate. It's hardly a narrative winner, but the film satisfies its basic supporting, structural needs. Action is fine, though one cannot help but think that, even with all its mayhem, there was room to push the envelope further. Universal's Blu-ray isn't going to set the world afire with its video transfer, but audio is excellent and the supplements are fine, even if the two commentary tracks are overkill and repetitive. Recommended.