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Movies / On DVD / Hardcore
Hardcore

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Hardcore (1979)

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85 %
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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:17

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.7/10

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: When the daughter of devoutly religious midwestern businessman Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott) disappears on a trip to Los Angeles sponsored by the family's Calvinist church, Jake's search for his... When the daughter of devoutly religious midwestern businessman Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott) disappears on a trip to Los Angeles sponsored by the family's Calvinist church, Jake's search for his daughter, Niki (Season Hubley), leads him into a shocking world of pornography. HARDCORE, an early venture from writer-director Paul Schrader, features what may be Scott's best performance (this side of PATTON) as a man shattered by his daughter's descent into the world of porn. In California, Jake hires Andy Mast (Peter Boyle), a sleazy Hollywood private detective, to help him find Niki; the two descend into the sordid realm of the hardcore sex industry, determined to retrieve her. An intentionally jarring shift of tones via editing techniques, the inherent strong material of the story, and interesting comparisons between conservative religious fanaticism and the porn industry give HARDCORE a unique depth in its portrayal of a man whose moral compass is suddenly put into question. [More]

Starring: George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Ed Begley, Season Hubley

Starring: George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Ed Begley, Season Hubley, Dick Sargent, Leonard Gaines, Tracey Walter

Director: Paul Schrader

Director: Paul Schrader
Producer: Buzz Feitshans
Screenwriter: Paul Schrader
Composer: Jack Nitzsche

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Hardcore

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Strong internal drama.

comment Comment
06/12/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
05/24/03
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hardcore is a softcore porn film that needed to be hardcore to have street cred as a believable investigative film about the porn industry.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/23/09
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
03/24/07
Brian Tallerico
Brian Tallerico
UGO

No review available.

comment Comment
09/23/05
Michael Szymanski
Michael Szymanski
International Press Academy

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/05
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/04/05
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily

No review available.

comment Comment
06/29/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/09/05
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A big throbbing stress-headache of a movie, but you won't be able to turn it off.

comment Comment
04/03/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/23/04
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Though Hardcore's so-called gritty images do have the power to disturb, it's because we're intrinsically aware of their psychic scourge on the hero

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
09/05/04
Bill Chambers
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central

Schrader;s gritty NYC runaway thriller.

comment Comment
08/14/04
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

Hardcore is a vivid and convincing parable about the dangers of spiritual pride.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
01/27/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Scott gives a terrific performance

comment Comment
11/21/03
Jon Niccum
Jon Niccum
Lawrence Journal-World

No review available.

comment Comment
08/21/03
John Esther
John Esther
Pasadena Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
01/13/03
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
11/08/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

Distasteful and dull

comment Comment
08/21/02
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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