Hardcore Henry

Hardcore Henry (7.5/10)
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Cast: Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, Andrei Dementiev, Ilya Naishuller, Sergey Valyaev
Country: Russia/USA
Language: English/Russian
Year: 2015

Once in ages, there comes a movie like - The Matrix, Ong Bak, Raid Redemption, etc. that redefines the action genre - Hardcore Henry certainly is an addition to that list. I have been a big fan of Ilya Naishuller ever since I saw his music video Bad Motherfucker. It was something unconventional, innovative, and revolutionary in the action scene. POV's are not new, and there have been POV sequences in films before; Doom is one of my earliest recollection where they showed first-person shooting sequence just like the video game. 

As far as I can remember, a few years ago, the makers released a promo video starring Sharlto Copley, and then the news came out of a full-length feature, which was earlier named Hardcore, and the first one to be shot entirely from the first-person point of view. Although there are a couple of regular shots in the film as well. It is indeed fascinating to know that it took almost ten different stuntmen and cameraperson, including director Ilya Naishuller to play the protagonist character of Henry. 

The majority of the shooting was done using GoPro Hero3 Black Edition cameras. The action and stunt in the movie are breathtaking, which will make you glued to your seats for the entire duration of the film. The best part about these indie action films is that it reflects all the hard work and commitment of the team. 

The plot is also pretty decent with a decent twist in the end, and it's not entirely about action. The story is about an android brought to life by his wife and has no recollection of his present condition, but when his treatment lab gets attacked, he sets out to seek answers with the help of a mysterious accomplice. 

Ilya Naishuller deserves special praise for his direction, and also introducing us to a new style of cinema. Sharlto Copley is funny as hell in this film, where he plays multiple characters. Danila Kozlovsky as the main villain looks menacing. The cinematography team of Chris W. Johnson, Pasha Kapinos, Vsevolod Kaptur, and Fedor Lyass deserves a special mention for their extraordinary work, which is accompanied by Steve Mirkovich's precise editing. 

Hardcore Henry is a delight for action fans, and undoubtedly one of the best action films of the recent years.