Thoroughly confounding the 'normal' relationship between abuser and victim, first-time director Slade presents a complex morality tale under the guise of an exploitation thriller.
Hard Candy (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:129
Fresh:87
Rotten:42
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Disturbing, controversial, but entirely engrossing, Hard Candy is well written with strong lead performances, especially that of newcomer Ellen Page. A movie that stays with the viewer long after leaving the theater.
Rated: 18 [See Full Rating] for disturbing violent and aberrant sexual content involving a teen, and for language.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:16-06-2006
Synopsis: Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl -- but even smart girls make mistakes. She's hooking up in a coffee shop with Jeff, a guy she's met on the Internet. And even though he's a cute,... Hayley's a smart, charming teenage girl -- but even smart girls make mistakes. She's hooking up in a coffee shop with Jeff, a guy she's met on the Internet. And even though he's a cute, smooth high-end fashion photographer in his early 30s, Hayley shouldn't be suggesting that the two of them go back to his house-alone. When they get there, Hayley quickly finds some vodka and starts mixing screwdrivers. She even suggests a photo shoot and strips off some clothing. Everything is going well for Jeff… until his vision blurs and fades, and he passes out. It turns out Hayley has spiked Jeff's screwdriver, and when he revives, he's tied down with Hayley searching through his place. She doesn't think it'll take too long to get a confession that she's not the first teenage girl Jeff's brought home and, more importantly, that her prisoner knows what happened to Donna Mauer, another girl who disappeared from Jeff's favorite coffee shop. And if he's unwilling to confess, well, she has another plan -- She uses an icepack as a homemade anesthetic… She starts shaving an incision site… She's learned a lot from the internet -- including this little surgical procedure she's dying to try… Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page star in HARD CANDY, a provocative psychological thriller directed by David Slade, written by Brian Nelson, produced by David Higgins, Richard Hutton and Michael Caldwell, and executive produced by Jody Patton and Rosanne Korenberg. It is the latest film produced by Vulcan Productions (FAR FROM HEAVEN, TITUS) in association with Launchpad Productions. -- © Lions Gate Films [More]
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page, Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes
Director: David Slade
Director: David Slade
Screenwriter: Brian Nelson
Composer: Harry Escott, Molly Nyman
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for Hard Candy
A cracking little thriller which makes you think even as it’s keeping you on the edge of your seat. It’s not always easy viewing, but Hard Candy is an intelligent, challenging film which deserves to be seen.
Smart, challenging and timely look at the world of internet grooming.
It's smart, funny, and surprisingly visually discreet. Some scenes may leave you doubled-up, but the overall effect is, as the saying goes, better than a kick in the balls.
A film that will have you both squirming in your seat and teetering on the edge of it.
Packaged in an increasingly lurid, credibility-free storyline, delivered with unstinting insensitivity by a first-time director determined to show off his ad-man’s box of visual tics.
[Hard Candy is] a stylishly directed thriller that's worth seeing for its intense performances, but there are too few surprises and the end result is disappointing.
It's not the surprise that keeps us gripped; it's the deeply creepy writing and amazingly raw performances that do it.
British director David Slade announces himself as a master of economy and discrimination by leaving the horror to the audience's imagination. This movie will make you squirm like you've never squirmed before.
... [I]t's Page who really carries the picture, delivering screenwriter Brian Nelson's clever dialogue so convincingly, we actually become scared for the child predator that she's tormenting.
It's the kind of indie film that makes its mark by a controversial theme, an infamous scene, and dines out on its film-festival buzz.
The film's strength is in the way it continually sustains suspense, particularly in the use of sound effects. Very little is shown, but much is heard.
Unreels with smooth pace and unexpected grace notes, both visually and by its two leads.
Latest News for Hard Candy
December 06, 2007:
Ellen Page on Juno: The RT Interview
Canadian actress Ellen Page is an anomaly in Hollywood. The star of this week's Juno has been in movies since the age of 10, has the face of a 14-year-old and the pop... More...
June 18, 2007:
Patrick Wilson (Pretty Much) Confirmed for "Watchmen"
He did great work in both "Hard Candy" and "Little Children," so now it might be time for Patrick Wilson's shot at the comic book material. More...
December 27, 2006:
Foster a Vampire Groupie for "30 Days of Night"
After playing troubled, goth-influenced teens in projects like "Six Feet Under" and "Hostage," it's about time Ben Foster just went right to the vampires. In... More...
April 14, 2006:
JB's Exclusive "Candy" Clip
One of my very favorite movies of the year (so far, anyway) is Brian Nelson & David Slade's Hard Candy, a tough and steely psycho-thriller about an internet predator, an... More...
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