Hardcore Henry (2015)
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A man with cybernetic limbs must navigate a violent, first-person odyssey through Moscow to rescue his wife from a corporate villain.
The story
A man named Henry wakes up in a laboratory on an airship with amnesia and mute conditions, having been revived after an accident. A scientist named Estelle reveals she is his wife and has replaced his missing limbs with cybernetic prostheses. However, mercenaries led by the psychokinetic Akan raid the ship to seize Estelle's research. Henry and Estelle escape to Moscow, but the mercenaries abduct Estelle. Henry is joined by a stranger named Jimmy, who warns him that his cybernetic limbs are running out of power and will kill him if not recharged, sparking a desperate hunt through the city.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After fleeing to Moscow, Henry is joined by various versions of a man named Jimmy. He learns he needs a charging pump from Akan's associate, Slick Dimitry, to keep his cybernetic limbs powered. After several dangerous encounters and the deaths of multiple 'Jimmys,' Henry captures Dimitry but is interrupted by a sniper. He eventually finds a charging pump and meets more versions of Jimmy, including a nervous nerd and a drug-fuelled sex maniac. Akan's forces attack, and Henry eventually finds the original Jimmy—a quadriplegic scientist seeking revenge against Akan. Jimmy reveals the other Jimmys are clones of his personality. Henry and Jimmy fight their way to Akan's headquarters, where Jimmy is mortally wounded and removes Henry's memory blocker. Henry fights an army of cyborg super-soldiers and discovers that Estelle is actually Akan's wife; the entire rescue was a test to see if they could manipulate cyborgs. After Akan and Estelle attempt to flee, Henry defeats them, eventually slamming the door on Estelle, sending her to her death.
- Original title
- Hardcore
- First release year
- 2015
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States; Russia
- Original languages
- English; Russian
- Directors
- Ilya Naishuller
- Writers
- Ilya Naishuller · writer; Will Stewart · additional writing
- Cast and characters
- Sharlto Copley · Jimmy; Danila Kozlovsky · Akan; Haley Bennett · Estelle; Tim Roth · Henry's Father; Andrei Dementiev · Dimitry "Slick Dimitry"; Oleg Poddubnyy · Yuri; Cyrus Arnold · Nat (credited as "Young Bully #2"); Ilya Naishuller · Timothy / Higher-Self Merc
- Genres
- action; thriller; science fiction
- Themes
- cybernetics; memory erasure; cloning; corporate greed
- Tone and mood
- action-packed; ludicrous; violent
- Setting
- Moscow and a laboratory on an airship in the modern era.
- Premise and plot tags
- first-person perspective; cyberpunk; sci-fi action
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews in the United States but was more positively received in Russia. It was considered a box-office bomb in the U.S. despite grossing $16.8 million worldwide against a $2 million budget.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 51 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Production trivia
- The film was shot using GoPro cameras mounted on a custom 'Adventure Mask'.; The concept for the film came from 'Bad Motherfucker' and 'The Stampede' music videos.; More than ten actors shared the role of Henry.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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