HARDCORE HENRY
Shooty Shooty Bang Bang
released OUT NOW! 18 | 96 minutes
Director Ilya Naishuller Cast Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Tim Roth
Fancy playing a first- person shooter, but without all the tedious joystick- handling and button- pushing? Then look no further than Hardcore Henry, a ludicrously violent RussianAmerican co- production that’s sure to be a big hit with the Xbox generation, though less videogame- attuned audiences may find it all rather draining.
The first- person camera puts the audience in the position of Henry, a cybernetic soldier who’s resurrected from death with no memory and no vocal cords. Receiving instructions from various characters named Jimmy ( Sharlto Copley), Henry embarks on a mission to save his wife ( Haley Bennett) from a telekinetic albino supervillain ( Danila Kozlovsky).
If it’s high- energy action you want, then it certainly delivers – you’re never more than a few seconds away from a gunfight, explosion or car chase. On a technical level, the film is frequently astonishing, and there’s a slightly subversive edge to locking the audience into the perspective of a bloodthirsty killing machine.
However, Henry’s total absence of character results in a frustratingly empty experience, emotionally speaking, while the non- stop barrage of action eventually becomes exhausting. Matthew Turner
Heavy use of first- person perspective is nothing new: 1947 noir Lady In The Lake is all seen from the POV of a PI.