7.0/10
6,387
76 user 56 critic

Hardcore (1979)

A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in California to look for his runaway teenage daughter who is making porno films in California's porno pits.

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4 nominations. See more awards »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
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Wes DeJong
Leonard Gaines ...
Ramada
Dave Nichols ...
Kurt (as David Nichols)
...
Tod (as Gary Rand Graham)
Larry Block ...
Detective Burrows
...
Ratan
...
Charlotte McGinnis ...
Beatrice (as Charlotte McGinnes)
Ilah Davis ...
Kristen VanDorn
...
Joe VanDorn
Will Walker ...
Jism Jim
...
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Storyline

Jake Van Dorn is a businessman from the American heartland who shares strong Calvinist convictions with most of his countrymen. His teenage daughter is missing from her church youth convention trip to California and Van Dorn hires a private investigator to find her. The result of the investigation is his daughter is spotted in a cheap X-rated movie. Van Dorn decides to bring her back personally and during the quest he becomes familiar with the pornographic underworld. Written by Dragan Antulov <dragan.antulov@altbbs.fido.hr>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

"Oh my God, that's my daughter."

Genres:

Drama | Thriller

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

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Details

Country:

Language:

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Release Date:

2 May 1979 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Hardcore  »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Schrader flew out to Grand Rapids to see some of the locations chosen by location director Paul Pav, but a severe snowstorm restricted them to their hotel for three day. According to Pav, "There was nothing to do but sit in the bar and the restaurant. I really got to know Paul then; I loved working with him - he's a strange, wonderful man" See more »

Goofs

When Jake has returned to L.A. and fires his detective, he creates a list of establishments to do his own research and that evening and drives around visiting places on his list. The first place he visits has a street number of 739 (visible in frame) but in looking at address detail in the long shot of the list itself, there are no references to a street number of 739 anywhere. See more »

Quotes

Niki: Well I don't plan on seeing him again anyway
Andy Mast: Oh no, what are you going to do, get a job? Office temporaries, computer programmer, cosmotologist?
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Connections

Spoofed in Saturday Night Live: Eric Idle/Bob Dylan (1979) See more »

Soundtracks

Man's Depravity
Words & Music by Larry J. tenHarmsel
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
General Patton in Pornoland...
27 June 2004 | by See all my reviews

I'm not a big fan of Paul Schrader, but I really dug this film! Personally, I think `Hardcore' is Schrader's best film, as it successfully mixes effective social drama with compelling tension. George C. Scott is truly magnificent as the hardworking, Midwesterner Jake Van Dorn who individually searches for his lost preteen daughter. At first, he cooperates with a private-detective (a very convincing Peter Boyle) who discovers that his offspring is now active in the hardcore porn-industry. Later, Van Dorn forms a partnership with a poor whore who brings him into contact with the right persons in the business. The first hour of this film is really good and works on many levels. Not only does Schrader mixes different social mentalities and religious convictions, he also gives a perfect portrayal of how someone is driven to complete distraction. The sequences in which Van Dorn witnesses his own flesh and blood feature in a sexfilm are truly intense and vindictive. Of course, the pornography shown isn't real (or even explicit) but you can easily imagine what a father's reaction would be. And please keep in mind that the film is now 25 year old and the censorship has changed a lot since then. Unfortunately, Van Dorn's private investigations aren't always credible (Scott dresses up as a stereotypical adult film-director and organises a cast-session) and the ending is rather abrupt and unsatisfying. Nevertheless, `Hardcore' is a dreadfully overlooked film and one of the most efficient thrillers of the late seventies. George C. Scott is truly brilliant and I personally think this was his best period as an actor. A year later, he starred in the unforgettable horror-chiller `The Changeling' and gave away an equally brilliant performance. If you appreciate good thrillers, you have to give `Hardcore' a chance. Highly recommended.


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