Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Extremely violent movie filmed like a first-person shooter.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Hardcore Henry
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 8 parent reviews
Based on 26 kid reviews
Kids say this is a highly violent and action-packed film that is definitely not suitable for younger audiences due to its graphic content involving stabbings, shootings, sexual scenes, and strong language. While many viewers find the unique first-person perspective engaging and fun, they unanimously agree that its excessive gore and mature themes make it appropriate only for older teens and adults.
- unique perspective
- intense violence
- strong language
- mature themes
- not for kids
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
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?
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
- In theaters : April 8, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : July 26, 2016
- Cast : Sharlto Copley , Haley Bennett , Danila Kozlovsky
- Director : Ilya Naishuller
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : STX Entertainment
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : non-stop bloody brutal violence and mayhem, language throughout, sexual content/nudity and drug use
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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