X
- 2006
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 44 m
- 2006
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 44 m
Summary A cat-and-mouse psychotic thriller as incisive as it is stylish, Hard Candy delivers a provocative take on the revenge drama while jangling nerves at every turn. The film plunges us into an unstable universe where we cannot readily identify the "good guy" in the tense confrontation between a 14-year-old girl and the 32-year-old man she ...
Directed By: David Slade
Written By: Brian Nelson
- 2006
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 44 m
- 2006
- R
- Lionsgate Films
- 1 h 44 m
Hard Candy
58
6.7
Where to Watch
Summary A cat-and-mouse psychotic thriller as incisive as it is stylish, Hard Candy delivers a provocative take on the revenge drama while jangling nerves at every turn. The film plunges us into an unstable universe where we cannot readily identify the "good guy" in the tense confrontation between a 14-year-old girl and the 32-year-old man she ...
Directed By: David Slade
Written By: Brian Nelson
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
58
63% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
17% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
20% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 30 Critic Reviews
58
63% Positive
19 Reviews
19 Reviews
17% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
20% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
A tough sit, but it attracts more than repels you. It commands your attention. Once it lands its hooks in you, there's no tearing away.
Hard Candy, a highly original psychological thriller/revenge fantasy, can be bitterly hard to take and uncomfortably intense, but it's well worth consuming.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 142 User Ratings
6.7
66% Positive
94 Ratings
94 Ratings
18% Mixed
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
15% Negative
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 142 User Ratings
6.7
66% Positive
94 Ratings
94 Ratings
18% Mixed
26 Ratings
26 Ratings
15% Negative
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
A very disturbing, but great movie. When I first saw that Ellen Page was the lead I watched it. I soon found out that young people are not always innocent. The last line of the movie when she says "Or Not" really shows that if you are convincing you can get anyone to believe you. A shocking thrill ride that will make you cringe, cry and maybe even smile a little
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I was not so sure about this movie at first. I really appreciated the shots and film techniques, but it left an unsettling feeling in me after I had turned the TV off. After having re-evaluated the movie, I can say that I appreciate the movie, and recognize what it was going for. As such I will give this movie credit for where credit is due. As such, this is an intense and visually pleasing movie. The scene transitions were very well done, giving off the effect of being transported throughout the house. The handheld film was used sparingly, but effectively throughout this piece, becoming more abundant as Haley seemed to lost control. The story has a very interesting arc, that almost has you sympathizing with a person who might be a pedophilic murderer. Other than some of the deliveries that were more so cringy or misplaced, I felt that the dialogue felt vaguely natural and realistic. Haley really steals the show in this piece, truly capturing an immense emotional range, and portraying a troubled person. Another interesting thing about this film is that, for a majority of the film, we are experiencing things from Jeff's side. This is part of what makes Haley so scary and Jeff sympathetic. Furthermore, this can be seen in such shots wherein we get an extreme close up of Jeff sweating as he is recounting tales of his 'childhood'. I don't exactly recommend this film, but if you enjoy intense unnerving movie-going experiences, then feel free to go an watch this one. Not my cup of tea.
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The most extreme English-language studio release I've seen in years.
A psychosexual thriller that treads a thin line between art and exploitation. The mere fact that it manages this queasy high-wire act is what sets debut director David Slade's slick mind game apart from the drooling pack.
The more things drag on, the more monotonous they become and, by the end, Hard Candy has devolved into a rather transparent game of one-upmanship in which Hayley and Jeff come across in almost equally repellent measure, their behaviors driven less by organic impulses than by their need to satisfy the script's elaborate series of reversals and counter-reversals.
Icky, incoherent thriller.
Tautly directed by David Slade, this drama probably offers more sadism than anyone could possibly want...The characters are absurd, but if you're up for this sort of thing, then surely you can con yourself into accepting them. Personally, I'd rather have this movie obliterated from my memory.
I can't say that Hard Candy is a great movie but i can't either say that it is a disaster. First of all it has great actors and an excellent cinematography. At the beginning it is a really lame and slow movie and it gets to the last minutes. It is really disturbing all these tortures and I can say that really annoyed me in a good way as i really like movies like Saw. I had great expectations for Hard Candy and I think they were a little bit high. You will only like it if you like sadistic movies like Saw otherwise you will waste your time and you will might feel really seek after watching that film. I give it 6/10 because it starts really bad and it is quite boring. After half an hour it gets more interesting. If only the first scenes were better....
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Whether you'll like this movie or not highly depends on what you look at when you watch a movie. The acting is stunning, both actors do a tremendous job. Visually, this movie is also superb, the director did an amazing job.
But the script is weak. The story drags on for waaaay too long, and the movie loses its initial drive to try to surprise us with plot twists that don't make a lot of sense and just make the whole seem longer. Worth it to see great acting, but otherwise, there are better movies out there.
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The strange philosophies of "Hard Candy" will no doubt polarize audiences, but pure exploitation tends to overcome any sense of right; there is a lot of brutality and sadism for the sake of justification - the exact type of movie that Michael Haneke's "Funny Games" was made to criticize. It's a shame because the colors are astounding and the acting is terrific, albeit acting for frustrating impossible characters.
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Awards
Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema
• 4 Wins & 4 Nominations
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 3 Wins & 3 Nominations
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards
• 3 Nominations
