Hardcore Henry: Even more of a video game than you think

Video game movies are a hell of a thing, and admittedly, being the "best" among them isn't exactly a tall order. Films based on actual game franchises have a traditionally disastrous track record. At best, they stick somewhat close to the source material and can be fun without being great; Silent Hill is usually the first to come to mind for me. At worst, they completely misinterpret the spirit and tone of the source material, or perhaps shouldn't have been translated to screen in the first place. You know, like any Uwe Boll game film or whatever the fuck the Need for Speed movie was supposed to be. In pretty much all cases, though, game films take themselves seriously as films and lack any surface evidence that they come from a totally different kind of medium.

Then you have movies ABOUT video games but aren't actually based on any existing game franchise. While they also can vary in quality from "great" to "total shitshow", what they tend to share in common is a fundamental misunderstanding of how video games actually work and how they are played. And every once in awhile a movie like Gamer comes around which, while not really a "good" movie, gets that aspect close to right.

Hardcore Henry is neither of these types of film. It's not based on a pre-existing franchise, and as much as it looks like a game because of the first-person view, there are no explicit references to games anywhere to be found. At the same time, what doesn't even come across in the trailers is that this movie is the most literal interpretation of "video game movie" ever produced. And you know what? I'd go so far as to say that the results are insanely successful, far more than I could've anticipated.

The marketing for Hardcore Henry is clearly geared at the current generation of gamers who grew up with Call of Duty and the like, but the tone of the movie extends further back in the genre than that. It's got a good sense of humor and self-awareness with a healthy amount of very effective gags. Between that and the glorification of gratuitous blood 'n guts and nudity for the sake of nothing other than a good time, it felt more like an homage to the days of shooters like Duke Nukem, where seriousness wasn't anywhere on the agenda. Also like old shooters, Hardcore Henry's sci-fi plot is purposefully paper thin, just enough to set you up for a string of ludicrous action scenes with very brief respites to catch your breath in between. A maniacal telekinetic mercenary leader named Akan serves as an endearingly cheesy villain. There's a solid twist at the end, and the "story" wraps up even more hilariously abruptly than it begins.

More notably game-like is the structure of the film. The trailers gave a good indication that there would be a lot of action, and there certainly is a lot of it, but what they don't show is just how much of a game the film is formulated after. The pace of the film is absurdly fast, constantly switching to new locations immediately after the purpose of the last one has been exhausted. There's your "levels" right there. The scenes then run the gamut of just about every shooter mission design imaginable. There's stealth sections - both armed and unarmed, a turret/vehicle sequence, a sniper sequence, an escort mission, defend mission, and even multiple boss fights. Throughout these sequences, Henry is frequently acquiring new weapons, upgrades, and power-ups (such as an adrenaline boost). Our hero begins unarmed and earns his way to knives, pistols, grenades, shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, and remote mines. It is precisely as ridiculous as it sounds, but it works so well thanks to never tipping its hand that this is what it's truly going for. If you're not familiar with how games are structured, it's an element that might be lost on you.

None of this would be worth gushing over if the movie wasn't any good. It is good, though. It's VERY good. I'd go so far as to say it's one of the most fun movies I've ever seen. That's what Hardcore Henry is really about: FUN, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. In spirit, it's very reminiscent of the Crank films. Though it forgoes classic filming techniques and cinematography entirely, it's a very technically impressive movie with a constant stream of inventive action set-pieces and insane stunts. A bit of really bad CG briefly stands out among what are almost exclusively practical effects. What the filmmakers accomplished with this production's paltry budget is staggering. I am in awe. The first-person viewpoint is a bit disorienting for the first 10 -15 minutes, but it's easy to get over, and the action scenes are crisp and clear in even the most overwhelmingly frenetic of moments.

As one might have guessed, it is excessively violent, joining the likes of Rambo 4 and Punisher: War Zone in the pantheon of "the most violent action movies ever made". It contains some of the more...inventive kills I've seen in some time, as well. Then there's a strip club scene about half way through that features more nudity than your typical action movie strip club scene. I'm honestly surprised that this somehow avoided the dreaded NC-17 rating.The whole package is pure exploitative fantasy that had me grinning, laughing, wincing, and cheering for the entire duration. And I can't get away without mentioning Sharlto Copley's character Jimmy, from whom much of the movie's humor stems. Without giving away why, he gets a very generous amount of screen time and is arguably the best part(s) of the whole movie.

Hardcore Henry is obviously not for everyone for a variety of reasons. Considering the demographic, I couldn't believe how many of the shithead teenagers at my showing didn't enjoy it. Whatever, their loss! The first person thing is a gimmick for sure, but it's a greatly effective one, amounting to more than just a variation of the "found footage" genre. The action, many of the visual gags, and the very nature of the gamey progression would fall flat without it. It is without a doubt the best video game movie ever made, unlikely to be topped any time soon. Even though there are boundless possibilities for sequels, I'm perfectly okay with that, too. Aside from the fact that the movie made only $5 million this weekend, meaning there probably won't be a sequel or many copycats in the future than could stand up to this, the formula of Hardcore Henry works best as a one-and-done - a unique and successful experiment that defiantly proves that what should not have worked as a movie, does. It is the very definition of "destined to be a cult-classic". Okay...maybe this proves that a first-person Half-Life movie is definitely feasible. I still want that.