Remember Biting Elbows’ Bad Motherfucker music video? Also sometimes sold as a short film called “Insane office escape 2”? Remember Sharlto Copley? Youknow, Wikus van der Merwe from District 9? Remember all those violent first-person shooter video games you love playing? Well, all those things are coming together in a very unique feature action film called Hardcore.
Hardcore looks very much like the feature film version of the “Insane office escape” videos. Apparently, when the second video went viral back in 2013, director Ilya Naishuller was thrilled by the online reaction. When Timur Bekmambetov (director of the Night Watch films and Wanted) saw the short and approached Naishuller, his encouragement led to the development of the feature project – the world’s first full-length POV film, and the first feature film to be “shot almost entirely on a GoPro“. After a successful IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign helped them complete the film, it finally had its première on 12 September at the Toronto International Film Festival 2015.
For a better idea of what the film is, see the trailer below. Please note: This trailer is NSFW.
I especially like the film’s official synopsis from its website – just like the film itself, the second-person narrative puts you in the shoes of the protagonist:
You remember nothing. Mainly because you’ve just been brought back from the dead by your wife. She tells you that your name is Henry and congratulations, you’re now a cyborg.
5 minutes later, your wife has been kidnapped and you should probably go get her back. Who’s got her? His name’s Akan, he’s just a psychotic megalomaniac with telekinetic powers, and a never-ending army of mercenaries. You’re also in an unfamiliar city of Moscow, Russia and everyone wants you dead. Everyone, except for a mysterious, British fellow called Jimmy. He might be on your side. Good luck Henry. You’re very much likely to need it.
Watch the original music video (and its precursor) below:
Hardcore is an upcoming action movie, and the first film to be shot “100% from the hero’s perspective”. In it Henry, a newly resurrected cyborg, must save his wife/creator from the clutches of a psychotic tyrant with telekinetic powers, Akan, and his army of mercenaries. Hardcore takes place over the course of one day, in Moscow, Russia, and is the début feature film of director Ilya Naishuller. This film was also the subject of a successful crowdfunding campaign.
