HARDCORE HENRY Trailer

2015’s Toronto International Film Festival gave audience awards to Room, the quietly affecting story of a mother and son, and Hardcore Henry, a first-person action film about a super-soldier fighting his way through Russia. Yes, Hardcore Henry’s win was in the Midnight Madness category, but that contrast is still amazing.

I don’t buy into the divide between daytime and nighttime festivalgoers, because I know there’s a lot of people, like me, that start in the morning hours and stay to the raucous end. I mean, what better way to top off a day of introspective, challenging material than with some genre thrills? Watching the trailer for Hardcore Henry, it’s easy to see why it would pop with general and genre fans alike. It looks rambunctious, a bit goofy, and technically impressive. I mean, how awesome was that moment Henry blew up the van, flew through the air, and landed on the motorcycle (and how did they film it?).

I’ve seen this trailer in theaters a few times now, and it plays very well on the big screen. As someone who doesn’t do much gaming, the first-person POV is jarring, but it lends a dizzying energy to all the fighting. Plus it serves as a nice visual cue that there’s probably not going to be much character or narrative development; you’re just supposed to take in the action that’s continuously thrown at you. Lots of films are beloved because of the sheer amount of well-choreographed action they contain (The Raid series comes to mind), and Hardcore Henry looks to deliver for fans of that formula.

Hardcore Henry is directed by Ilya Naishuller and stars Sharlto Copley and Haley Bennett. It will be released in the U.S. and the U.K. on April 8th, 2016. For international release dates, click here.

Do you go for no frills action? Do you think that camerawork will make you sick? Let us know in the comments!