Hardcore

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john h A well-written work by Paul Schrader and one of the best examples of "rabbit hole" movies. Hardcore portrays a subtle subtext and theme of the relationship between a daughter and father and the lengths one will go to bring a loved one back from a dark present. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/03/25 Full Review Stephen C 1 hour and 48 minutes of drama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/27/25 Full Review CodyZamboni Z Paul Schrader pours on the strict Catholic beliefs and teachings in the opening scenes, Contrasts them with the porn, snuff film stuff as movie goes on. As George C Scott, sacrifices his core beliefs to save his daughter. George C Scott is the MVP here, and commands our attention, as the search for his daughter takes darker and more outrageous turns. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/18/24 Full Review Ben D Hardcore is a seedy movie at the tail-end of a seedy decade. Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott) is a fish-out-of-water as he patrols the Hollyweird streets, strip clubs, and sex shops in search of his daughter (Ilah Davis), who took a bus from Grand Rapids, Michigan to L.A. on a Calvinist mission and never came back. The contrast between snow-white Grand Rapids at Christmas time and neon-bright Los Angeles couldn’t be starker. Andy (Peter Boyle), an L.A.-centered P.I. Jake hires to find his daughter, pulls the absolutely jaw-dropping, insane maneuver of playing for Jake, in a private screening, the pornographic “reel” in which his daughter is spit-roasted in a “Devil’s Three Way,” without warning — if there ever is a situation that demands a “Trigger Warning,” this is it. Through Jake’s eyes, we learn what happened to Kristen (Davis), even if we can’t trust the string of unreliable witnesses. I learned about Hardcore from reading Tarantino’s Cinema Speculation and have determined that he was too hard on the film. Yes, Jake should’ve just gone home when it was likely that Kristen wasn’t drugged or kidnapped, but wanted a different life than what she foresaw in Grand Rapids. That being said, he’s a father, a Dutch Reform deacon, and played by the best actor I could imagine for this story. It is ludicrous that he and Andy would be able to locate Kristen, not just searching in L.A. but San Diego as well. The score for when Jake is patrolling the streets is sit-up-in-your-seat good. The logical nadir of his journey (before finding his daughter, of course) lands him in a grimy, secluded theater where a snuff film is shown to an eclectic group of men, all silent. The ending, with the wild P.I. gunshot across a busy avenue and Kristen’s decision to return with her father, isn’t the best, but the final moment with Niki (Season Hubley), a kind sex worker who aids Jake in the cities’ viscous underbellies, adds a much-needed poignant conclusion to the film. “You don’t belong here,” Andy says to Jake when the search seems fruitless. Maybe none of us do, but it’s a fun, heartrending ride behind the fourth wall. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 10/31/24 Full Review Dallas H I would say it is quite a sad story about the strained relationship of a parent and child. George C. Scott's performance is pretty good in this movie. The ending had that brief moment when I was almost fooled it would take a flying leap off the cliff of sadness, but made a last moment about-face. In addition, how did this movie get away with the "R" rating in the United States, but the "X" rating in England? The film was released in 1979 when the ratings boards were more prudish than today, and with the unmistakenly sexual nature of the content shown on screen, I was surprised it didn't have an "adults only" neon sign plastered all over the marketing posters. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/07/24 Full Review Jamal S Soberly shot with a solid screenplay handling moral issues without being didactic. Strong performances. Perhaps feels a touch dated but still immersive. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/23/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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