Hardcore

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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 Ava S Featuring an iconic tagline, Hardcore illustrates the collision of two contrasting worlds and their surprising commonalities, and the lengths a parent will go to protect their child's perceived innocence. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/24 Full Review Audience Member The truth at times may be too hardcore or terrible to understand given unwavering religious faith we follow Based on an actual true story The late George C. Scott plays Jake Van Dorn, a Midwestern businessman Jake's just finished having a Christmas celebration with his family in 1977 Then his teenage daughter Kristen goes on a church trip called the Youth Calvinist Convention to California But Jake is shocked to learn she doesn't return Worried he sets out to find her hiring an LA investigator Andy Mast The police don't help him and Jake even asks a prostitute to track her down Director Paul Schrader tells a story of a father desperate to find his child Yet it's horrifying discovering the underbelly of a world most of us are not ready for It's quite saddening knowing how much this father finds out Keep in mind much of this is an investigative narrative I was also pretty stricken given the explanation for why the daughter disappeared in the first place The resolution at the end will be very split down the middle for most but Scott is incredible in this acting as someone in a time period descent into depravity and exploitation Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/10/24 Full Review Stoner J For me it's the directors best movie, really really good for late 70's Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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