Such a frustrating disappointment

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Hardcore is Paul Schrader's lurid odyssey into the seedy underbelly of pornography and prostitution in 1970's California. George C. Scott stars a conservative midwestern businessman who searches every street corner and dirty back alley in search of his missing teenage daughter whose started appearing in porno films.Coming off the success of writing Martin Scorsese's masterpiece Taxi Driver, this film is essentially a B movie companion piece. Hardcore is a well written slow burn that has become slightly dated, but still manages to retain its potent commentary on the dark side of the City of Angels.George C. Scott gives a tour de force performance as the religious calvinist Jake Van Dorn, Scott gives an earnest performance as a man willing to bend his moral compass in the slim hopes of finding his daughter. Whilst in the process of finding his daughter he hires the expertise of a slimy private investigator played Peter Boyle. Boyle once again gives an excellent understated performance, it's a shame Boyle never got the leading roles his talent deserved.Hardcore is an excellent thriller which has some pacing issues and it also occasionally tonally riffs off Taxi Driver, especially in the last act. Other than that Hardcore is an uncompromising thriller that's supported by excellent writing a wonderful central performance from George C. Scott.

When I saw this film the first time I lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan where some parts of this film were made. It was very insightful and interesting. I was young to the USA and I was not aware what a difference there was between Midwest and LA for example. I thought that all of the USA was uniform and that there were not so many difference between mentioned parts. Was I wrong! Plot is very interesting. Porn in the 1970*s in LA! Extremely interesting! Although porn industry has changed tremendously, some of the things said about it in this film are written in stone. Story*s which are similar to this one happen all the time.Acting was excellent, especially by Mr. Scott. Other actors are good too.Camera and cinematography typical for those times.

Hardcore is a movie that hits you where it hurts. It's a film, every young teenager should see, before scouting off on those illusive dreams. Here, it was the daughter who had to escape the tedium of a Christian town, who for the devouted religious and single father (Scott) becomes every parent's nightmare. The daughter, Kristen, like many other budding starlets, winds up in L.A's underworld of prostitution and pornography. For any father, it'd be the ultimate shock in seeing their daughter up there on the screen doing a porno, and this is what happens here, as a relentless Scott scours the L.A. streets, and trawls through the scum of the porno parlours, and seedy strip clubs, determined to find Kristin, if it kills him. Hardcore too, takes quite a look inside this dark work of teen porno, as well as a bit of yeah, snuff. The late Peter Boyle plays a seedy detective up to his neck in a pooontang, where we aren't really sure, early on, if he's on the level. Is he a bit dirty, enjoying the luxury of a little sleaze on the side, or is he the straight as an arrow undercover detective who's been working this case so long, it's just all nonchalont. The out of his depth Scott, resorts to setting up an audition, to snag a porn star seen in the skin flick daughters, which ends in a bad blow for the enraged and frustrated Scott. Even though I'm not a George as only seeing him in a few movies (Curocao, Firestarter) I know enough to know he's a great actor, especially the praised notoriety for his performance in Patton, a movie I never saw. Here I thought was very good. I read his character perfectly. The anger, frustration, and awkwardness, like around the porno scene, I truly believed. We see much want him to find her daughter. The contrast is great in Hardcore, where everything's so merry and happy, and pure at the start, void of evil, where the pornography and nudity of L.A's mire, you don't expect it to be that bold if comparing it to the start. Some tasty nudity here of phillies, let me tell ya. There are some sick moments, some disturbing, and some unsavory characters, me myself wanted to smash over the head with a torch. Schrader's tight screenplay is great, and Season Hubley who in one shot you see full frontal, with another chick, is impressive as the wearied porn prostitute who Scott basically uses to help find her daughter. Too we identify with Kristen's reasons for leaving, where for me at the start, I found the church town scene, rather overwhelming. At least here, there's a happy ending, unlike 8 MM. A highly recommended view.

Hardcore may have been shocking and daring for its time, but it feels pretty dated now - not just the value system, but also the offbeat pacing. The pacing is indeed a problem, the ending even more so. Fortunately, the film leans firmly on two very strong pillars - effective, unnerving atmosphere, of which Schrader is still a master artist, and fantastic acting - from George C. Scott, of course, but also from Peter Boyle and, in a very surprising turn, Season Hubley.Hardcore doesn't measure up to Schrader's most renowned work, Taxi Driver - its most obvious point of comparison - but it stands up well on its own.