Hardcore Henry

2015 first-person action mayhem

Rating: 13/20 (Dylan: don't remember if he told me)

Plot: Henry tries to save his wife from a mysterious organization. Everybody gets dizzy.

I was intrigued after seeing the previews for this, and I'm still not sure it's not a better movie than my rating might indicate. Once the first-person gimmick loses its novelty, the limitations in character development and storytelling are impossible to hide. A lot of the plot probably doesn't make any sense, and I'm still confused about why they gave the bad guy telekinetic powers.

That guy's played by Danila Kozlovsky who, when the scenery isn't being blown or shot up, spends his time chewing on it. It's a performance that's cartoonish and brilliant, but it's probably more brilliantly bad than good. Equally hammy but definitely a lot of fun is Sharito Copley who plays various incarnations of a character named Jimmy. Copley plays a filthy bum, an effeminate British soldier, a tough biker guy, a speed-fueled philanderer, and more. He's over the top and manic, and he adds an element that I didn't expect this movie to have.

Of course, with a movie like this, you're not really looking for things like good acting and storytelling. This is all about the action, and if you want to play a video game without actually having to play a video game, this is the type of movie you'll enjoy. I thought I did a fantastic job with the stunt work, and the first-person thing, though it does start to get a little old at times, gave a lot of these action sequences a unique perspective. The choreography and timing of the action and the special effects were impressive. I leaped from high places, was involved in high speed car chases, engaged in fisticuffs, and shot at guys who were trying to shoot me.

There was fun to be had, but you had to wonder how much of this sort of thing is too much. It's pretty damn good at what it does, machismo eye candy that's maybe a little too sugary or sweet. Fans of the Statham Crank movies might have a head start on appreciating the obscenely crazy action pace of something like this though this isn't as nuts as those movies.