Screen legend George C. Scott (Patton, The Day of the Dolphin) gives a strong, sensitive portrayal of a deeply religious Midwestern businessman whose daughter, while on a church-sponsored outing, runs away from home. He hires an oddball detective (Peter Boyle, The Brink’s Job), who learns that the daughter has been making cheap sex films. When the father realizes that he can no longer trust the detective, he decides to hunt for his daughter himself. Posing as a porno film producer casting a new movie, he gathers clues with ferocious determination. Finally, with the help of a prostitute (Season Hubley, Vice Squad), he locates his daughter. But is it too late? Paul Schrader, writer (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) and director (Blue Collar, American Gigolo), presents a powerful, unflinching glimpse into the dark, bizarre world of the pornography industry. Featuring cinematography by Michael Chapman (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and music by Jack Nitzsche (The Exorcist).

For thoughts on Hardcore, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

Hardcore returns to Blu-Ray with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer that is not noted as being from a new master but looks quite strong overall. This film was released previously on Blu-Ray via Twilight Time in 2016 which is long out of print. I do have that disc, and this transfer does not look notably different from that release, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. This new presentation is a really good representation of the film that allows it to be back in wide circulation, but a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray would have been preferred.

This transfer retains the natural film grain of the presentation which helps bring out more detail in the picture. This allows the transfer to reveal some distinct textures within the clothing and the occasionally dingy or flashy production design. Clarity and detail is agreeable with skin tones that look natural with subtle facial features such as facial hair easily distinguishable in closeups. Print damage rarely pops up as a significant issue with only the occasional speck visible. Colors appear nicely vibrant and stable depending on if we are discussing the slightly desaturated world of the midwest or the hyper saturated west coast of sin. Highlights do not appear to be overcooked with blooming not showing up as an issue. Black levels are decent but could be a bit more robust in their depth with some brief loss of detail in some shadowy scenes. This new presentation from Kino Classics keeps this one a pleasure to watch despite the lack of a new master.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a nice DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this movie well. Dialogue and background noises work well with all complementary elements so that nothing feels drowned out. This is far from an action-packed tale, so you do not feel much texture in the low end. The score and soundtrack complements the dialogue and other important information admirably. This track rarely showcases anything in the way of age related wear and tear. Kino Classics has delivered a pretty solid audio presentation that serves the movie well. There are optional English SDH subtitles included for the feature film.

Special Features

Audio Commentary #1: Writer/Director Paul Schrader provides a commentary track recorded in 2016 that provides some good background information about the production including details about the shooting locations, the shooting title they used to not alienate the locals, elements he recognizes from his own upbringing, working with the performers, filming the explicit scenes, societal values of the time and more.

Audio Commentary #2: Film Historians Eddy Friedfeld, Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo deliver a really informative commentary track in which they discuss how this film fit into the filmography of Paul Schrader, the careers of the creatives, the aesthetic of the film, the state of the film industry of the time, the narrative journey of the feature and more.

Trailers: There is a minute-and-a-half trailer provided for Hardcore. There are also trailers provided for They Might Be Giants, The Day of the Dolphin, Blue Collar, Serpico and Marathon Man.

Final Thoughts

Hardcore is a tough movie from the always unyielding Paul Schrader. Even for a movie made in the rollicking days of the ‘70s, there are elements being explored in a relatively significant Hollywood production that not many studios would have touched at this time. There are plenty of dated elements to contend with, but you may actually find yourself surprised that this film does not get as rough or nasty as you might expect. George C. Scott puts forth a formidable performance that always keeps you invested in the character’s plight, even if you may not always like the character himself. Schrader threads the needle well enough here to make this a compelling viewing experience that embraces the griminess of the era. Kino Classics has delivered a Blu-Ray release that sports a perfectly good A/V presentation and a couple of nifty commentary tracks. If you missed out on the previous release, this new one will treat you well. Recommended

Hardcore is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.