So, I saw Hardcore at Toronto Film Fest and it was pretty fucking hardcore! Now, there's a pretty good way to describe this movie that I think you'll all agree with when you see it, and it's that this movie is Crank meets Mirror's Edge. This film is very much inspired by video games and it's very much inspired by Neveldine & Taylor. It lives on the principles of sex, drugs and rock and roll, and it's filled with great excuses for the film to be the way that it is. However, its benefits don't stop there. For one, the character's ability to speak is damaged from the beginning of the film. So, seeing the entire film from the eyes of a silent protagonist not only adds to the humor, but it's one more layer to add to the homage of video games that this film is going for. There are plenty of films shot in first person that have cuts that might bother me, but this film often disguises those cuts as glitches in the main character's vision, and when cuts are made in the film, I never really feel cheated by their existence. The cuts were often used to help keep the pace of the film going. So, when the character's chasing someone over a long distance, there's no real point in showing the entirety of the chase anyway. This film is filled with incredibly impressive parkour and stunt choreography, with many of the stunts putting the actors in very real danger. Now, much like a Neveldine & Taylor film, this movie does not really take itself too seriously. The film has a constant sense of goofiness and humor, so that combined with the ridiculous and well choreographed action, made for a film that I had an absolute blast watching. This film and Mad Max are probably tied for the most fun I've had in a film all year. This is a great example of a "fun" out of 10 movie. Is it as good of a film overall as Mad Max? Ah, no. I mean, for one this film is a lot more stupid, but on the plus side this film knows that it's stupid and is proud of it. Like any Neveldine & Taylor film, it's not trying to be an Oscar winner, it's just trying to be entertaining. So when the plot gets so stupid that it's a little difficult to understand exactly why any of this is happening, at least it's a movie that doesn't really beg for you to care.This movie doesn't pretend it's anything other than what it is, and that makes it all the more enjoyable.
