Hardcore Henry a roller-coaster ride for star Sharlto Copley
04/04/2016
Hardcore Henry blasted out of the Toronto International Film Festival last September with a punk-rock cockiness, a Midnight Madness award from Toronto audiences and a $10 million deal that guaranteed this low-budget rocket ship a wide distribution deal. By Bruce Kirkland
That day has now come: Hardcore Henry debuts in theatres on Friday. The film that was just called Hardcore at Toronto also has new life and a more refined look after being supercharged with finishing money from STX Entertainment in Burbank. This infusion of funds gave young Russian filmmaker Ilya Naishuller, and his team of international producers, the chance to polish their uniquely funny, violent, crazed, kinetic and hugely entertaining action film. The results are spectacular.
For me, says Sharlto Copley, the film's star and co-executive producer, this film is a combination between a roller-coaster ride, a movie, a video game and a rock concert!
A big chunk of the credit for getting Hardcore Henry made goes to Copley, a South African actor-producer whom you may know from the excellent science-fiction film District 9. Copley - who empowered South African-Canadian filmmakers Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell to make their anti-racism opus - starred as the Afrikaner bureaucrat Wikus van der Merwe. He is the man who sympathizes deeply with the aliens and finds himself accidentally transforming into one, in the tradition of The Fly, after being infected with their DNA.
Hardcore Henry lacks that film's socio-political agenda, but it has energy to burn. It is a point-of-view film seen entirely through the eyes of Henry - a mute character whose face we see for mere seconds at the end. Instead, as Henry gradually does, we learn he is a cyber-soldier who is part human, part machine, and on the run from menacing forces. The body count in the non-stop chase is staggering. But the humour, especially coming from the many incarnations of Copley's charismatic character Jimmy, breathes giddy life into the crazy carnage.
The actual driving force behind this film, for me, was creating a cinema experience for an audience, Copley explains in an interview at the Burbank offices of STX Entertainment. This feels like some sort of an opportunity to do a bridge between films and virtual reality.
Helping Naishuller, as part of a large producing team that also included Russian-American filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov of Night Watch and Day Watch fame, was a thrill for Copley.
And he cared not at all that he was signing on for a very foreign experience. Hardcore Henry was not just made-in-Moscow - an awkward place to shoot - but it was also to be a rarity as a Russian-American co-production. This meant communication back and forth from Moscow to Los Angeles introduced more challenges.
Making a POV movie was the foreign element, in a big way, Copley says, discounting the international logistics as a problem. I came on as a producer. I came on early, before there was even a script. So there was actually an enormous parallel between District 9 and my experience on this film.
The trigger to get involved was actually a POV video that Naishuller shot in Russia. Bad Motherf---er became an Internet sensation, inspiring Bekmambetov to contact Naishuller, encouraging him to make a feature film with the same frenetic style. Copley also watched the now infamous video - 25 times in a row on a loop.
As for the title, which Copley now prefers to call BMF, he admits with a grin: I wish he hadn't called it that, now that I have to do so much normal' press and actually say that. He didn't know what was coming at the time or he definitely wouldn't have used it!
Regardless, Copley was impressed, as were millions of people who helped make BMF one of the most watched videos of its kind.
There was a harder edge to it, the 42-year-old Copley says, recalling that he thought to himself: These are crazy, hard-edged bastards just pushing the envelope of what they've seen the West do. In a certain way, it was very similar to what happened in South Africa. We're the first generation to grow up with media. In South Africa, we didn't have television until 1976. I was that first generation.
As a result, South Africa suddenly created a generation of young talents such a Blomkamp. The same is now happening in Russia, with a generation that has grown up with more artistic freedoms since the end of the Soviet Union. I felt that, as it proved to be true when I was in Russia, that there are a lot of talented, creative young people.
On Hardcore Henry, Copley fed off their energy. There was just this incredible drive on this film, as unbelievably difficult as it was sometimes! They were just so passionate and so much wanting to show the world what they could do.
http://www.torontosun.com
Feature Films
Americas United States
LINK: | http://www.filmcontact.com/news/united-states/hardcore-henry-roller-co... |
See more stories from filmcontact |
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet Appoints Santiago Solanas as CEO to Lead Next Era of Growth and Innovation
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
30/04/2024
The Anchor of Our Work at the Native Lab: A Dispatch from Adam Piron
By Adam Piron In anticipation of this edition of the Indigenous Program's Native Lab, it actually dawned on me that this will be our lab's tenth year i...
30/04/2024
Launch of SBS South Asian channel and SBS Spice, a new English language offering for younger South Asian Australians
Launch of SBS South Asian channel and SBS Spice, a new English language offering...
30/04/2024
lodie Ichter Joins Light Iron as Senior Colorist
LOS ANGELES (April 30, 2024) Light Iron, the post-production creative-services division of Panavision, is excited to announce that lodie Ichter has joined th...
30/04/2024
Breadth of Support
Now streaming on Netflix, Good Grief marks the feature-film directorial debut of Daniel Levy, well known as the co-creator and costar of the series Schitt's...
30/04/2024
PBS Masterpiece Sets Third TV Adaptation Of The Forsyte Saga'
The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy's sweeping portrait of a wealthy British family in 1880s London, is getting its third TV adaptation in less than 60 years....
30/04/2024
Clear-Coms Eclipse HX and Agent-IC Technology Illuminate Coverage of Solar Eclipse
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
30/04/2024
Plex Partners with T-Mobile To Grow Connected TV Reach
CAMPBELL, Calif. Streaming media company Plex and T-Mobile will work together to expand T-Mobile's connected TV (CTV) inventory and advance the connection b...
30/04/2024
Roku, iSpot Launch Expanded Streaming Audience Measurement Partnership
SAN JOSE, Calif. & BELLEVUE, Wash. Roku, Inc. has announced an expanded measurement partnership with iSpot.tv, the cross-platform TV measurement company....
30/04/2024
Paramount+ Subs Hit 71M as Revenue Grew by 51% YoY
NEW YORK As Paramount Global wrestled with management turmoil and ongoing negotiations for a proposed merger with Skydance, the company managed to report improv...
30/04/2024
Cobalt Digital Receives Trifecta of Awards at NAB 2024
Cobalt Digital Receives Trifecta of Awards at NAB 2024 Company adds two 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year awards and one Best of Show from TV Tech to long list...
30/04/2024
arkonas BLADE runner IP Audio Engine Receives Best of Sho...
arkona technologies GmbH, provider of IP core infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions, has announced that its BLADE//runner IP Audio Engine ...
30/04/2024
OpenDrives Joins AWS Partner Network
OpenDrives, Inc., the global provider of software-defined media workflow solutions and data management capabilities, announced today that it has joined the glob...
30/04/2024
dandb group unveils SustainSymphony a ground-breaking clo...
The first norm conform sustainability service dedicated to the needs of the events industry Easy-to-use, intuitive platform for venues, event organisers and su...
30/04/2024
Dejero Smart Blending Technology opens new opportunities...
Dejero GateWay enables Stream7 to create independent internet connectivity at any venue or location, including UK teaching hospital for live streaming of surgic...
30/04/2024
farmerswife and Cirkus to Showcase Cutting-Edge Solutions...
Excitement is building as farmerswife, a leading software provider for resource scheduling, project management, and team collaboration in the media industry, ha...
30/04/2024
XL8 Clears SOC 2 Type II Audit Enhancing Data Security
XL8, a leading deep-tech startup specializing in AI-powered machine translation technology, proudly announces the successful completion of a System and Organiza...
30/04/2024
CABSAT 2024 - Leader and PHABRIX to showcase latest Test...
Test & measurement innovator, Leader Electronics of Europe, has announced that it will exhibit at CABSAT, which takes place this year from 21-23 May 2024 at the...
30/04/2024
MRMC Debuts Cinebot Max Camera Robot at NAB 2024
MRMC Debuts Cinebot Max Camera Robot at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton April 30, 2024 0 Comments Expands its range of live-action, motion-control camera robots...
30/04/2024
Next Jazz Legacy Announces 2024 Cohort of Women and Nonbinary Awardees
Next Jazz Legacy Announces 2024 Cohort of Women and Nonbinary Awardees The program was created by New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender J...
30/04/2024
SES Announces Acqusition of Intelsat for $3.1B
European telecom satellite company SES announced today that it is acquiring rival Intelsat for $3.1 billion. The deal, unanimously approved by both companies...
30/04/2024
Bakish Out at Paramount
Bob Bakish, chief executive of Paramount stepped down on Monday, effective immediately. Bakish, who was a staunch ally of Shari Redstone, controlling shareholde...
30/04/2024
Hotspring unveils Slapshot ML-driven rotoscoping solution
Hotspring said the breakthrough had been achieved through the acceleration of machine learning technology By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 30, 2024 Ho...
30/04/2024
SES to acquire Intelsat in $3.1 billion deal
Speaking about the deal, Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES, said: it will bring value-added, efficient, and reliable offerings for both companies media customers By Je...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish officially out at Paramount, new Office of the CEO finalising long-term plan'
Paramount said the Office of the CEO is working with its board to develop a comp...
30/04/2024
Gray Television Using NextGen TV to Roll Out Advanced Features Like HDR
LOUISVILLE, Ky. In another sign that broadcasters are finally using NextGen TV broadcasts to offer viewers new features instead of simply simulcasting existing ...
30/04/2024
Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame To Honor Blaise Labbe
OKLAHOMA CITY The Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame will induct Blaise Labbe, a group news director for Sinclair Broadcast Group, May 2 at the 54th Anniversary I...
30/04/2024
Cox Media Group, Dish Ink New Multi-Year Agreement
ATLANTA and ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Cox Media Group and Dish have ended a dispute over retransmission fees that lasted nearly a year and a half with a new multi-year ...
30/04/2024
TelevisaUnivision Taps LTN for IP-Based Distribution
Video transport solution provider LTN has announced that it is working with TelevisaUnivision to help the Spanish-language media giant migrate to IP-based video...
30/04/2024
NBC KXAS and Telemundo KXTX Used Clear-Com Solutions for Eclipse Coverage
ALAMEDA, Calif. Clear-Com has released details about how it played a pivotal role in the seamless coverage of the recent solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 by NBC K...
30/04/2024
Scripps Appoints Seth Walters To Steer CTV Sales Strategy
CINCINNATI The E.W. Scripps Company is adding Seth Walters to its sales leadership team as head of CTV sales, effective April 29....
30/04/2024
Durham Bulls Saturday Game, First Sellout of 2024 Season
The force was strong at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Saturday night, April 27, 2024, as the night netted the ballpark's first official sellout crowd of...
30/04/2024
NewFront Life Is a Cabaret for LGBTQ+ Network Revry
Revry, a network celebrating queer culture. said its second annual NewFront presentation will be a cabaret-type spectacle showcasing the spirit of the LGBTQ+ co...
30/04/2024
FETV Viewers Say Howdy' as Wyatt Earp' Joins Lineup
Family Entertainment Television (FETV) said that the Western series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp will be joining the network's afternoon lineup startin...
30/04/2024
Bob Bakish Departing Paramount, According to Reports
Bob Bakish, president and CEO of Paramount Global, will depart the company as Paramount explores a merger, according to numerous published reports. The reports ...
30/04/2024
Tribeca Festival Announces Talks, Reunions & Retrospectives
April 30th, 2024 Press Materials Available Here TRIBECA FESTIVAL 2024 ANNOUNCES TALKS, REUNIONS, & RETROSPECTIVES Live Conversations with Judd Apatow, Andy C...
30/04/2024
Solid momentum into the year for Telenor
6 minute read Share alt=Alternative descriptive text class=lazyload main main-lazyloaded responsive-image data-v-1a5ebb10> Telenor showed good momentum...
30/04/2024
SES Acquiring Intelsat to Create New Satellite Giant; Will Offer Improved Reach and Redundancy for Media Customers
SES Acquiring Intelsat to Create New Satellite Giant; Will Offer Improved Reach ...
30/04/2024
WDR Filmhaus to Implement Riedel Infrastructure
Wuppertal April 30, 2024 WDR Filmhaus to Implement Riedel Infrastructure Award-Winning MediorNet HorizoN Hybrid Processing Platform Serves as Bridge to IP Ri...
30/04/2024
Tilda Swinton Joins Colin Farrell in Edward Berger's 'The Ballad of a Small Player' for Netflix
Back to All News Tilda Swinton Joins Colin Farrell in Edward Bergers The Ballad...
30/04/2024
Netflix Reveals First Look Images and Teaser from 'Senna', Inspired on the Life of Famed F1 Driver
Back to All News Netflix Reveals First Look Images and Teaser from Senna, Inspi...
30/04/2024
Top 10 Week of Apr. 22: Baby Reindeer' and Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver' Hold Onto the Top Spots
Back to All News Top 10 Week of Apr. 22: Baby Reindeer' and Rebel Moon - ...
30/04/2024
Female Leadership in the Age of AI: United Kingdom
Dr. Nicola Hodson, Chief Executive, IBM UK & Ireland introduces the UK findings of an IBM study on female leadership in the age of AI Advances in Artificial In...
30/04/2024
FOR-As RDS Conductor Wins 2024 NAB Show Product of the Year Award
Channel Expansion, and New Codecs, Compression and Transport Technology Among Latest Updates...
30/04/2024
Accel-KKR Credit Partners Provides Growth Financing to Dalet
Accel-KKR Credit Partners today announced that it has provided debt financing to support Dalet in its next chapter of innovation and growth. Accel-KKR Credit Pa...
30/04/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 29 April 2024 [video]
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 29 April 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...
30/04/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lewatle witnesses an explosive fight between Sthoko and Babeile
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lewatle witnesses an explosive fight between Sthoko and B...
30/04/2024
RT NEWS ANNOUNCES DAVID MURPHY AS NEW ECONOMICS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT
RT News is pleased to announce the appointment of David Murphy as its new Economics & Public Affairs Correspondent. David is currently RT 's Political Cove...