George C. Scott is effective in this sordid tale, playing Jake VanDorn, a conservative and religious business owner in the Midwest. His daughter Kristen (Ilah Davis) goes on a "Calvinist Convention" to various other points in the U.S., including Bellflower, California. Soon he's heard that she's gone missing, and disgusted with the apparent uselessness of California police, he first hires a private detective, Andy Mast (Peter Boyle). It isn't that long before Mast unearths a bargain basement pornographic film that stars Kristen. Heartsick and enraged, Jake decides to do his own sleuthing, navigating the seedy California underworld, and eventually hooking up with a part time hooker / part time adult film actress, Niki (Season Hubley), whom he hires to assist in the search.Writer / director Paul Schrader, unlike his uptight main character, isn't afraid to explore the whole idea of sex, and the attitude that less judgmental people have towards it. The way that he immerses his hero in the non stop array of seedy environments is never less than fascinating. Some viewers can easily find it sad, and yes, off putting as well, but his material is grimly compelling nevertheless. It's all brilliantly captured on film by a talented team including production designer Paul Sylbert and cinematographer Michael Chapman. The story does have a message in it about learning to be more open minded and not so critical towards others, something that Jake has realized by the end. This is driven home by the whole relationship between Jake and Niki, which is nicely developed by Schrader, Scott, and Hubley. While the tone is mostly fairly serious, there is some humor to be found as Jake sees that his confrontational approach in pornographic places of business doesn't work, and tries ruses like masquerading as an adult filmmaker.The cast is superb. Scott anchors the tale with his sober performance, Hubley is just wonderful, and Boyle is fun to watch (in an interesting twist, Mast is actually rather sleazy himself). Dick Sargent lends a warm presence as Jakes' brother-in-law, who's concerned for his safety. There's a parade of familiar faces for viewers to enjoy: Gary Graham, Marc Alaimo, Hal Williams, Roy London, Bibi Besch, Tracey Walter, Reb Brown, and Ed Begley Jr. It's a truly gut wrenching moment when Jake recognizes his daughter in the $200 stag film, and Scott just acts the hell out of it.Some people take issue with the resolution (and, admittedly, the character who's more or less established as the villain of the piece is barely in the film), but at least Schrader refrains from making it conventionally Hollywood-happy. There's some hope for the future, but also a nagging doubt. The actors play it well.Overall, a good, solid drama.Eight out of 10.

Uptight Scott's adolescent daughter goes missing in Los Angeles and he plunges into the world of hardcore porn to try to find her. The musical score by Fred Nitzsche provides him with a reflective companion -- from the quiet, slightly eerie tones of an ancient church organ in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the beginning to the shrill squeal of an electronic guitar in the depraved city.The writer/director Paul Schrader has captured the milieu perfectly at the opening in snowbound Grand Rapids. The Van Dorn family makes good solid furniture. They are earnest Calvinists. There is no corruption. Nothing is going on. The family gets together for Christmas dinner, Mamma serves the turkey, the carefully groomed children laugh, the head of the family says grace, and Normal Rockwell gets the whole scene down on canvas. It's a credible portrait of blissful innocence.When Scott's gawky daughter turns up missing on a church visit to LA, then appears in a skin flick, the movie follows Scott to LA too and it falls apart, killed by the pernicious murk. The whole narrative makes no sense. The police won't help Scott so he begins hanging around with people in the porn industry. He poses as a investor in these schlock movies. I ask you, the discerning viewer, can you believe an upright middle-aged businessman from a strict religious background could don a mustache, a wig, a necklace, and a gaudy shirt, and then pass himself off as an inside man in the skin industry? But that's just one of the movie's problems. Scott enlists the aid of a whore (Season Hubley) and promises to take care of her if she'll guide him through the blue and rose of the neon-tinted underworld. Then at the end, after a weak attempt to give her some money, he abandons her to her fate. Just two sh*ts that passed in the night. What kind of morality is that? And when, finally, he bashes through walls and brains everyone who stands in his way, he finds his daughter shivering with fright in a corner, extends his hand, and says soothingly, "Let's go home." And she lets him have a broadside. She wants to stay here in this living hell with people who love her, because Scott never loved her at home, she was never pretty enough or good enough. There is absolutely no set up for this exchange, no hint of previous discord. That scene of the family Christmas stands in direct contradiction -- everybody dumb but happy.Scott is restrained in the role of anxious, tearful, enraged father. This film seems to have begun a deflation in his career. I don't know what was behind it but after several sterling performances in the 60s, he made a series of movies of lesser interest and then disappeared entirely for a few years before showing up in a few supporting roles.No one else in the cast stands out, but probably Peter Boyle as the cynical, flawed but effective private investigator is the most believable character.Not a total loss. There are some moments of humor. The long-haired skinny young director of a skin flick is proud to be a graduate of UCLA's film school. And there is a keenly observed conversation about predetermination and sex.But it can't make up for scenes like that in which Scott first watches a hardcore movie in which his virginal daughter is gang banged and the camera lingers on George C. Scott's face slowly filling with anguish and then hate until he screams and covers his face. The shot lasts too long. Nobody could carry it off. I hate to use the word, but it all seems "dated." It's less about a man's search for his missing daughter than it is about giving the good folks of Grand Rapids a tour of the odious underworld of Hollywood's porn industry.

In short; I did like the movie but still had plenty of problems with it.The premise of the movie is really good and interesting and also lets this movie sound like it is a great and powerful movie, about some previously unseen and very ugly, dirty things. But the movie just isn't quite it. It never gets confronting or shocking enough and in the long run, the movie fails to make a true emotional or dramatic impact.That is the real problem with this movie; it's lacking any good emotions and dramatic developments. The search for George C. Scott's daughter just never feels intense enough and he doesn't always make a very desperate or depressed impression at all.The movie also gives you the feeling it really isn't delving deep enough into things. This could had been an interesting exploration into the darker and ugly side of the porn business but the movie just never quite goes there. You could blame it all on the writing but perhaps you should also blame it a bit on the approach that the movie is taking.The approach just never makes the movie a real interesting one really. It's lacking a good buildup to certain things and situations, which also causes the movie to fail to make a true great impact with anything.Some moments are still being made great by George C. Scott's performance. But unfortunately he himself also can't really ever make his character a compelling enough one. He isn't even all that likable and his character is also making some odd and very unlikely choices throughout the entire movie.There still is plenty to like about this movie. I for instance loved it how it was taking a real typical '70's approach with its film-making, even though not everything about it worked out all that well. And like I also said before, the movie does still definitely has its moments and it besides still remains a original movie to watch, thanks to its main concept and premise.Definitely good enough but it all had far more potential in it really.7/10 http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

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 the trip to L.A. 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.Paul Schrader's "Hardcore" is a powerful thriller about sex market and snuff underground.The script is suspenseful and the location sets are sleazy and authentic.There is plenty of nudity and a bit of gruesome violence.The central performance of George C.Scott is truly awesome.A must-see.8 out of 10.