Today we’re looking at Hardcore. Coming from a devout Calvinist family in western Michigan, Paul Schrader diverged from becoming a minister when he took up film studies at UCLA at the recommendation and encouragement of film critic Pauline Kael. His first break into the film world came when he and his brother Leonard wrote the script for Sydney Pollack’s thriller The Yakuza (1974), which he followed up with Obsession (1976) for Brian De Palma and Taxi Driver (1976) for Martin Scorsese; it was success of the latter that elevated Schrader to the director’s chair with Blue Collar (1978) – though an on-set nervous breakdown during production nearly ended his directorial career – and followed that up with Hardcore. Previously released in a limited batch run by Twilight Time in 2016 (HTF’s own Richard Gallagher reviewed that release here) and in a Region Free Blu-ray by Indicator in 2017, Kino has brought the movie back into print with this new Blu-ray release.
The Production: 4.5/5
“Turn it off. Turn it off! TURN IT OFF!” – Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott)
The seemingly idyllic world of custom furniture businessman – and devout Calvinist – Jake Van Dorn is upended when he learns that his daughter Kristen (Ilah Davis) has disappeared from their church’s youth group during a trip to Southern California. A couple of months pass before Jake is visited by L.A. private eye Andy Mast (Peter Boyle) – whom Jake hired to find Kristen – with some disturbing news: Kristen was spotted in stag film and is likely been forced into sex work. Without much information or help from Mast, the LAPD or any of the numerous sex shopkeepers in Los Angeles’ adult underworld, Jake sets out to find Kristen – using an alias as a pornography producer out of desperation – and bring her home to Grand Rapids. Along the way, he meets Niki (Season Hubley) – a prostitute that he soon develops a rapport with – and goes even deeper into the dark underbelly of the porno industry, eventually leading him and Niki to San Francisco, where he’ll have to face a hard and painful truth about himself.
For his second movie as a director, Paul Schrader made Hardcore one of his most personal films. Partially rooting his original script in his experiences growing up in Grand Rapids, Schrader also contributes hints of John Ford’s The Searchers (1956) in his story of a man looking for his lost daughter; originally slated to be released by Warner Bros. – the same studio that released The Searchers – and have Warren Beatty in the lead, once the film’s production shifted to Columbia Pictures, Beatty dropped out and George C. Scott replaced him. Schrader imbues the film with a degree of realism in his decision to present the story in a complex, three-dimensional manner in terms of ideas and emotions displayed by the characters; best of all, Schrader the director and Schrader the writer respects the intelligence of his audience and – aside from a foray into some clichéd dramatics in the climax – gives the story a slight noirish tint in terms of performances from his cast. One of the more overlooked films of the 1970’s, Hardcore leans into the neo-noir and crime thriller aspects of its complex story and proved that Paul Schrader’s emergence as a talented writer-director was certainly no fluke.
George C. Scott here delivers one of his best and more underrated performances as the devout Jake; Scott and Schrader frequently clashed during production, with Scott simultaneously praising Schrader’s writing abilities while blasting his directorial style (obviously the two never worked together again following this movie). As the prostitute Niki, Season Hubley gives one of her best performances and has great rapport with Scott; the same year this movie was released, she portrayed Priscilla Presley in John Carpenter’s TV movie on the life and career of Elvis. Playing the private eye Jake hires to help find his daughter, Peter Boyle has one of his more notable character parts, capping a decade in which he first caught the eyes of critics and audiences playing the bigoted titular character in John G. Avildsen’s Joe (1970); of course, he’s now best known for playing Frank Barone, the irascible father of Ray Romano’s eponymous character in the TV series Everybody Loves Raymond. Rounding out the cast here are Ilah Davis in her film debut – and only film appearance – as Kristen Van Dorn, Dick Sargent as Wes, Larry Block as LAPD detective Burrows, Marc Alaimo as the film’s main villain, the violent Ratan, Gary Graham as Ratan’s associate Tod, Will Walker as the porno actor in Kristen’s stag film who directs Jake to Niki, Paul Marin and James Helder as members of the Van Dorn family, Reb Brown as a bouncer, Tracey Walter as a clerk in an adult store Jake visits and Ed Begley Jr. as a soldier; look for the film’s cinematographer Michael Chapman as a patron of Les Girls and production designer Paul Sylbert shoveling show during the opening credits (Schrader’s own parents even make an appearance in a scene at the church in Grand Rapids).
Video: 5/5
3D Rating: NA
The film is presented in its original 1:85:1 aspect ratio, taken from likely the same HD transfer used for the 2016 Twilight Time Blu-ray. Film grain, color palette and fine details appear to be faithfully represented with only minor cases of scratches, dirt and tears present on the transfer. Overall, this release is still likely the best the movie will ever look on home video.
Audio: 5/5
The film’s original mono soundtrack is presented on a DTS-HD Master Audio track for this release. Dialogue, sound mix and Jack Nitzsche’s music score are presented faithfully with minor cases of flutter, distortion, crackling, popping and hissing present. This release is on par quality wise with the previous Twilight Time and Indicator Blu-ray releases of the movie.
Special Features: 3.5/5
Commentary by writer/director Paul Schrader –Â Carried over from the Twilight Time Blu-ray, Schrader reflects on making the movie, including casting his parents in small parts in scenes shot in Grand Rapids.
Commentary by film historians Eddy Friedfeld, Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo –Â Also carried over from the Twilight Time Blu-ray, the trio look at the film from a critical point of view and some of their information on the making of the film overlaps with the Schrader commentary.
Theatrical Trailer (1:22)
Bonus KLSC Trailers – They Might Be Giants, The Day of the Dolphin, Blue Collar, Serpico & Marathon Man
Missing here from the 2016 Twilight Time Blu-ray is an isolated track of Jack Nitzsche’s score and a booklet essay by Julie Kirgo. MIA here from Indicator’s 2017 Region Free Blu-ray are a 1993 interview with Schrader, a 2004 interview with cinematographer Michael Chapman, a featurette on composer Jack Nitzsche, an image gallery and a limited-edition booklet featuring an essay by film critic and an extensive interview with Schrader from 1979.
Overall: 4.5/5
Despite garnering a mixed reception from critics and audiences upon first release, Hardcore is still a significant entry in the careers of Paul Schrader and George C. Scott. Kino has done a good job in bringing the movie back into print, carrying over the solid HD transfer and commentary tracks from the previous Twilight Time Blu-ray (though not all special features from that release and the Indicator Blu-ray release made it onto this release). Highly recommended and worth getting if you missed out on getting the Twilight Time Blu-ray (just hold on to your TT and/or Indicator Blu-ray for the extra special features).
Mychal has been on the Home Theater Forum’s reviewing staff since 2018, with reviews numbering close to 300. During this time, he has also been working as an assistant manager at The Cotton Patch – his family’s fabric and quilting supplies business in Keizer, Oregon. When not working at reviewing movies or working at the family business, he enjoys exploring the Oregon Coast, playing video games and watching baseball in addition to his expansive collection of movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, totalling over 3,000 movies.
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