Hardcore (2015)

Hardcore: Directed by Ilya Naishuller. With Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovskiy, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth. Henry is resurrected from death with no memory, and he must save his wife from a telekinetic warlord with a plan to bio-engineer soldiers.

“* Spoiler Free *u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJust saw this at TIFF 2015 Midnight Madness. Judging by the constant applause and laughter throughout, the audience LOVED it. I thought it was truly INCREDIBLE and genuinely new… a landmark film. Hopefully that will be recognized without hindsight. I believe Hardcore has the chance to be Star Wars for this generation… or perhaps a Terminator or a Reservoir Dogs. Iu0026#39;m writing this to help ensure that happens. Context: I also thought Crank was great.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe ENTIRE movie takes place in FIRST PERSON point of view (POV). ALL 90 MINUTES. It never gets old and the POV remains a strength throughout. I never got motion sickness (and the movie moves fast – incredibly fast). After the movie, the director mentioned the Vimeo short would be unwatchably choppy on the big screen. 2 engineers spent 2 months creating a special rig with 2 magnetically stabilized GoPros to shoot the film. This new rig is the reason why the audience didnu0026#39;t get motion sickness.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIu0026#39;ve never seen action like this. Itu0026#39;s not just regular action scenes filmed in first person. Itu0026#39;s superheroic parkour, fantastical fights, and video game gunplay all presented in first person. Seen from a regular angle, the action would likely be too cartoonish. The POV helps ground everything, making it more believable. Added Bonus: During many scenes youu0026#39;ll wonder how the POV camerman didnu0026#39;t get killed.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHardcore is incredibly violent, but rarely nasty. People who play modern FPSu0026#39;s will not bat an eye, others will be shocked and appalled. Expect a lot of controversy when the older crowd expresses grave concern about this film, while the younger crowd rallies behind it. Expect marketing to exploit this generation gap.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAction aside, the movie has an unexpected sense of humour. Some driven by situations, some driven by characters, some thanks to the POV. Thereu0026#39;s not a lot, but what is there is gold – and a relief during all that action.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe main character, despite never appearing, is able to communicate a personality. I believe FPSs will steal the ideas presented here. The circle is complete.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhich brings me to Jimmy (Sharlto Copley)… Canu0026#39;t say much but heu0026#39;s easily as compelling as the action. His interactions with our hero (the POV) are not straightforward, and always intriguing. Somehow they form a bond, which winds up unexpectedly touching. Before the movie Sharlto said it was the craziest, hardest role heu0026#39;s ever done and itu0026#39;s easy to see why.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe bad? The overall plot is good but not great. The bad guy, beyond being powerful and evil, has less character than the POV. Despite some attempts, women are relegated to lesser roles. (I believe the good far FAR outweighs the bad)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRussian Hollywood has created the best first person shooter ever made. When POV becomes the new bullet time, you can thank Hardcore.”