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First-person shooters are one of the most popular genres in video games with franchises like Call of Duty and Halo generating billions of dollars over the last two generations of gaming. Other genres have attempted to take the point of view (POV) approach to moderate success (Mirror’s Edge), but it hasn’t grown as widespread in use outside of the FPS and RPG genres. The film industry, meanwhile, is constantly pushing the technical and cinematic edge of what can be done with a large budget and solid concept, yet we haven’t seen a true, feature-length POV film… until now.
Hardcore is the feature-length film debut from Ilya Naishuller. It was Naishuller’s music video for his band Biting Elbows that went viral last year that has led up to the production of Hardcore. As seen in the “Bad Motherfucker” video, the video’s plot is a full POV film that’s equal parts action film and hardcore parkour viral video. With over 20 million views and comments asking for more, including one from Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov promising to produce a full-length POV film, the groundwork for Hardcore was set.
Hardcore is a sci-fi/action film about a cyborg named Henry who must save his wife/creator from a villain that possesses telekinetic powers with the help of Jimmy, played by District 9‘s Sharlto Copley. The entire film was shot on-location in Moscow with custom GoPro rigs created specifically for the film. However, considering the film is mostly an independent venture, the crew needs additional funds to ensure the post-production process can elevate the film to a level of quality it deserves.
If you have the funds or would like to help spread the word about Hardcore, you can visit the film’s IndieGoGo page for more information on how to do so. You can also watch the aforementioned “Bad Motherfucker” music video below.
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