Parents' Guide to

Hardcore Henry

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Extremely violent movie filmed like a first-person shooter.

Movie R 2016 96 minutes
Hardcore Henry Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 17+

Based on 10 parent reviews

Chandler A.
Chandler A. Adult
March 11, 2020
age 18+

Hardcore Henry Review

It set as a video game. Your mission is to save your wife after she was taken. The villian has these supernatural power to push people away, etc. The violence can be bit extreme. Due to one scene where, Henry has to take a heart out of a another man's chest. There is almost a a rape scene from tow guys ttying to rape a girl. But luckily Henry kills them both to save the girl. The film is very funny with the jokes but can be dark in some. It can be a bit confusing at first to watch the film since the sotry just gets thrown at you straight away and it is in first person. But apart from that, I give it a rating 8/10 and age suggestion 18 or older

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Drew S.
Drew S. Adult
April 1, 2018
age 17+

Hardcore Henry is hardcore

Hardcore Henry was a great idea and I would love to see a sequel soon but it was extremely violent and not at all for kids!! Hardcore Henry had bloody gory violence from people being stabbed mercilessly to getting their heads ripped off. It was very fascinating and what I would call eye candy. I don’t know why everyone gives this movie poor feedback because the story was good the acting was good and the special effects were awesome. I feel this movie is a big accomplishment and even has made its way into games such as payday 2. I really enjoyed this movie and if you allow your kid to play first person shooters you might consider letting them watch this because the movie plays out just like one. Sure it had scenes of nudity such as in a strip club and had lots of language besides all the gore. It was good and should be left to kids 17+ because I’m not sure kids as young as ten could take all the gore and language and drugs and nudity this movie has to offer!! Although this movie is highly inappropriate it had a I wouldn’t say good message but a message that thought you to stand up for what you believe in!!

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Henry wakes up in a lab, with no memory. A woman named Estelle (Haley Bennett) tells him that she's his wife and proceeds to attach a robotic arm and leg to his body. The evil Akan (Danila Kozlovsky), who seems to have telekinetic abilities, interrupts, and Henry and Estelle escape. After a crash and a shoot-out, Henry meets Jimmy (Sharlto Copley), who wants to help. He informs Henry that, now that he's a cyborg, he'll soon need a battery change. Jimmy is shot, and Henry finds himself on the run again. Miraculously, Jimmy turns up, in disguise, and points Henry in the right direction: to find and take down Akan before he has a chance to unleash more robotic super-soldiers.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10):
Kids say (24):

Shot entirely from a first-person point of view and staged like a video game, this action extravaganza doesn't care about characters, but as an experimental exercise in pure style, it's pretty cool. Director Ilya Naishuller, of the Russian indie rock band Biting Elbows, is known for making similar first-person music videos on YouTube. It's trickier to sustain that kind of energy for 90 minutes, but he pulls it off in HARDCORE HENRY, borrowing ideas from first-person-shooter games -- i.e. the hero wakes up with amnesia and can't speak, other characters tell him what his tasks are, etc.

The camerawork is fluid and kinetic but still rapid-fire; it can be dizzying (there have been reports of viewers getting motion sick during screenings). Copley gets a chance to shine (or show off), playing several characters with different personas and accents. Kozlovsky's Akan is a rather dull villain, but Bennett is an appealing femme fatale. One scene even references Robert Montgomery's Lady in the Lake, which used the first-person perspective technique all the way back in 1947.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Hardcore Henry's extreme violence. How does this it make you feel? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

  • The gentleman's club scene includes lots of nudity and implied sex. Does this add anything to the movie? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • Three characters are seen drinking and taking drugs. How are those behaviors portrayed? What affect do they have? Does the movie glorify them?

  • How does the first-person perspective work? What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? How does it compare to other action movies?

Movie Details

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