Hardcore Henry
First-person action thriller shot entirely from protagonist's view.
Hardcore Henry is a 2015 Russian-American action thriller. It marks the feature directorial debut of Ilya Naishuller, who also co-wrote the script with Will Stewart and produced alongside Timur Bekmambetov, Inga Vainshtein Smith, and Ekaterina Kononenko. The entire film is presented from the protagonist's first-person perspective.
The cast includes Sharlto Copley, Danila Kozlovsky, Haley Bennett, and Tim Roth. It opened in Russian theaters on April 7, 2016, through Mirsand, and in the United States the following day via STX Entertainment. American critics gave it mixed reviews, while Russian reception was more favorable. Made on a $2 million budget, the film earned $16.8 million worldwide but was considered a box-office disappointment in the U.S. due to global rights and marketing costs.
The story begins with a man waking up in a laboratory on an airship. A scientist named Estelle claims to be his wife, tells him his name is Henry, and explains he has amnesia and cannot speak after an accident. She fits him with cybernetic limbs, but before she can restore his voice, mercenaries led by the psychokinetic Akan attack. Akan claims Estelle's research as corporate property, kills her scientists, and pursues Henry and Estelle as they escape in a pod to Moscow. Estelle is captured.
A stranger named Jimmy rescues Henry and warns him his cybernetic limbs will kill him if not recharged. Corrupt police working for Akan kill Jimmy, but Henry escapes. Another Jimmy—now an alcoholic—tells Henry that Akan's associate Slick Dimitry has a charging pump. After more attacks and another Jimmy's death, Henry captures Dimitry, but a sniper kills Dimitry before he can talk. Henry retrieves the pump from Dimitry's heart and receives a call from Jimmy directing him to a brothel.
There, Henry meets two more Jimmys: a nervous nerd and a drug-fueled sex maniac who replaces the pump. Akan's forces attack the brothel. Akan taunts Henry about Estelle, who is being moved in an armored convoy, then ejects Henry from the building. A stoner Jimmy transports Henry to the convoy. Henry attacks, finds Estelle and Akan, but Akan beats him with a baseball bat and has him buried.
Jimmy digs Henry up before he's fully buried and resuscitates him, only to be killed by a tank shell.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Ilya Naishuller
- Producer
- Timur Bekmambetov / Inga Vainshtein Smith / Ilya Naishuller / Ekaterina Kononenko
- Starring
- Sharlto Copley / Danila Kozlovsky / Haley Bennett / Andrei Dementiev / Dasha Charusha / Svetlana Ustinova
- Music
- Dasha Charusha
- Cinematography
- Sergey Valyaev / Andrey Dementiev / Ilya Naishuller / Pasha Kapinos / Vsevolod Kaptur / Fedor Lyass
- Editing
- Steve Mirkovich
- Studio
- Bazelevs / Versus Pictures / H. Brothers
- Distributor
- Mirsand (Russia) / STX Entertainment (United States)
- Released
- 12 September 2015 · TIFF · 2016 · 04 · 07 · Russia · 2016 · 04 · 08 · United States
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
- Country
- United States / Russia
- Language
- English / Russian
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The film follows Henry, a man who wakes in a laboratory on an airship with amnesia and muteness. Scientist Estelle, claiming to be his wife, replaces his missing limbs with cybernetic prostheses. Mercenaries led by the psychokinetic Akan raid the ship, kill the scientists, and abduct Estelle after Henry and she escape to Moscow. Henry is rescued by multiple versions of a man named Jimmy—clones controlled by a quadriplegic scientist seeking revenge against Akan. The plot involves Henry fighting through Akan's forces to rescue Estelle, ultimately confronting Akan in a brutal showdown.
Reader's Guide
Hardcore Henry is significant as a landmark in first-person filmmaking, using GoPro cameras mounted on a specially designed mask to create a continuous subjective viewpoint. The film's production involved over ten actors portraying Henry, including stuntmen and the director himself. It premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, winning the Grolsch People's Choice Midnight Madness Award, and sparked a bidding war that led STX Entertainment to acquire worldwide rights for $10 million. Despite a $2 million budget, it grossed $16.8 million worldwide but was considered a box-office bomb in the U.S. due to marketing costs. Critical reception was mixed in the U.S. (51% on Rotten Tomatoes) but more positive in Russia (7.9/10 on Kritikanstvo). The film's legacy lies in its innovative use of consumer-grade cameras and open-source software (Blender) for visual effects, influencing subsequent first-person action films and music videos.
Did You Know?
- The film was shot with GoPro cameras mounted on a mask called the 'Adventure Mask', designed by Sergey Valyaev.
- More than ten actors shared the role of Henry, including stuntmen, camera operators, and director Ilya Naishuller.
- The concept originated from music videos 'Bad Motherfucker' and 'The Stampede' by Naishuller's band Biting Elbows.
- Blender, an open-source software, was used for most of the film's visual effects.
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