Hardcore Never Dies (2023) User Reviews

Better than expected

[markvanwasbeek · 8/10 · 10 November 2023]

The name really doesn't cover the load of this movie. Yes, the Dutch gabber scene acts as a glue for the story but the movie is more a coming of age and family drama.

I wasn't familiar with the actors but they did an excellent job. Especially Jim Deddes as Danny (reference to Vinyard from American History X?). He really did remind me of my brother back in the days, and as in American History X his little brother in this movie looks up to his brother while he actually shouldn't, albeit for different reasons.

The only thing that bothered me were the insanely stupid choices the Danny character made.

For international audiences, skinheads in this movie are not like American ones, it was style of the subculture like the Nikes and Australian tracksuits.

In that regard the director also did an amazing job portraying Netherlands of the 90s. So well I felt nostalgia for most of the film.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes a good family drama, but especially to Dutch people or the ones that liked or still like the rave scene.

A greatly acted but unfinished story

[kgflikweert-91302 · 7/10 · 18 November 2023]

Loved watching the movie and overall acting with the typical Rotterdam 90's vibe around it. For Dutch people it might be more interesting then others. The plot was good but the storyline just didn't finish and ended abruptly. It left me with some questions I would have liked answered. Jim Deddes (Danny) was a pleasure to watch. Good overall casting. I was happy to see that there where no typical Dutch actors like you would see in a lot of Dutch movies. There is enough in this for a part two, but I think a part two would ruin it. Overall, great intense crime movie with some insight into the gabber culture.

Don't watch it for the story...

[danieloro-26360 · 7/10 · 3 December 2023]

As i said in the title, don't watch it for the story...that's really not that interesting and extremely predictable.

If you however either grew up in, or are interested int the hardcore/gabber culture in mid/late 90's Netherlands...man is it all just so recognizable.

The attention to detail is great, from the clothing to the music...even the hairgel in the main character's bedroom gave me those nostalgic feelings.

Overall it's played well, it looks and feels great, at times it's hilarious and for a particular group of people extremely nostalgic...just don't expect a great story because you will be disappointed.

Fun despite the misleading title

[cpu-4 · 7/10 · 11 December 2023]

The title and marketing would make it seem like this is a movie about hardcore gabber, but that is only partially the case. Despite that, if you lived through the 90s and went to gabber raves in Rotterdam like me, I think there is still enough to like.

Let's start with my gripes. I did not find the "troubled brother" very convincing as a real Rotterdam gabber. The main protogonist seemed inexplicably way more upper middle class than his parents. His affliction with gabber also seemed a bit superficial. If your first experience of raving in the early 90s as a teen was a gabber rave in the Energiehal with proper chemical stimulation, let me tell you: it would be extremely unusual for this not to be the beginning of an intense obsession. The ending also is a bit abrupt and superficial: after a little foray into the evil and criminal world of hardcore gabber, our young protogonist can put this all behind him to proceed with a serious life as a classical pianist? His hardcore seemed to have died quite quickly then.

On the up side, I liked most of the supporting cast, including the "villains". Though the story wasn't incredibly original (in fact almost cliche), there was still enough depth for me not to be bored. Though not everything about the raves was "period correct", much of it was done well enough to give me some goosebumpish flashbacks. You do get a sense of the intense energy of the music, the crowd, and the drugs. As a Rotterdam native it was fun to recognize locations.

In summary, I was plenty entertained despite the flaws and false advertizing.

Good crime story with wasted opportunity

[joffreyblase · 7/10 · 15 November 2023]

So I can reminder the hardcore scene of that time and the move starts really good the first 30 minutes portraying the culture and the vibe . I really have loved to do more of that story of people that were sucked in and dedicated there youth for the culture.

But unfortunately the movie focuses further on a drugs crime story and wasted this opportunity. It is by no means a bad movie and it still contains a lot of elements of the gabber subculture. But maybe it shouldn't have named the movie Hardcore Never Dies, cause it implies something different and now feels like a way to attract people to the movie.

But still as a Dutchie it is a must see, especially nly for the great hardcore soundtrack.

''take me back...

[ops-52535 · 7/10 · 13 December 2023]

Take me back where i belong'' , somebody sang in the late 1980's, and if you were a hardcore raveparty, ecstacy driven rythmic box, then have some reminisensic moments with this dutch movie called ''hardcore never dies''.

The expression ''gabber style'' doesnt ring much bells in my ears, and I didnt surf that psychedelic joyride back then( far too busy with house&kids) , but i feel the turbodrive of the ravedriven music style, which theyve put a lot into this film. Also the fatalistic familystory are acted out very well by the main cast, not much positive lifestyle for sure, allthough many crashed into it back then.

Allover this is a very good european socialrealistic drama that reflects the lifes of many european young adults in the start block, choosin' which way to live the rest of their lives. So to the young generation of viewers, see this, your mum and dad may have a good clue to what the raveculture meant to them.

''this is the end, my friend'', jim morrison of the doors sang once just before he passed to foreverness, such a feeling looms the grumpy old mans mind too after viewing this film and my wish to sint niklaas is, make a sequel to this one, it ended far to abrubt for a predemented mind.

Drama that takes us back to club life in Mid 90's Holland

[cotta002-318-865119 · 7/10 · 17 December 2023]

Anyone who remembers the "gabber" scene which began in Rotterdam The Netherlands will appreciate the attention to detail in this movie.

I like the fact that the director made an environment where everything was as it was in the mid 90's from the mobile phones that had bad reception most pay as you go, to old cars and even street signs as they were.

Two brothers , one a natural talent for playing the piano , the other a rascal , into partying in the Gabber scene. Gabber is Dutch slang for "mate, buddy" shaved heads and Australian tracksuits, a particular look (shaved heads didn't mean racist, this was not the case with gabbers). It was almost tribal like with the women shaving the lower part of their hair and always a pony tail, this tribe danced all night to very heavy and fast hard bass drum beats and often took speed or other drugs to keep them going.

The gifted pianist brother is working in a mundane job and meets up with his estranged brother and he sees his brothers way of life as an escape from his structured and boring life.

The movie goes on to show how a series of unfortunate events can easily spiral out of control and keeping things together is difficult enough but add to the mix all night raves, drugs and gangsters... well who knows what the outcome will be.

Some similarities from the Dutch 90's techno movie "wasted" and the Danish Pusher trilogy (I like them also) makes this a good movie to watch.

It's true Hardcore never dies.

6 otta 10 for effort

[dproukousnyc · 6/10 · 16 December 2023]

Ok let me call as it is. This movie gets an A B for effort but as with most European movies trying to create this genre it fails. Leave this up to the USA. No country is able to match the story, feel,grit,action or acting like Americans. If this movie would have borrowed more of those techniques it might have been amazing.

Even with all it faults I did manage to watch it till the end. It had enough appeal to keep me intrigued. I think that was more about the rave Era, I remember,and I was interested in to where the movie was going.

I guess what I would say about the movie is,I watched it & it had some interesting moments pertaining to the rave Era in,,was it Amsterdam? But needed that American make over.

Hardcore never diesssss!

[tomlangenhoff · 9/10 · 25 November 2023]

Hardcore never dies, what a wonderful film, really enjoyed by myself as a hardcore fan. The atmosphere of the 90s has been created phenomenally. The acting is also really top class with a nice dose of humor. Ultimately it is more of a crime film and the focus could have been more on the gabber scene, but for now I really enjoyed it! Wonderfull musictracks pass by. Dutch heritage that still travels all over the world, something to proud off.

If you are familiar with the hardcore/gabber scene and enjoy the music then it is a must to go see this movie. And yes it is true, we are living in 2023 and hardcore still remains so i guess Hardcore Will Never Die!

Unexpected good "Narcos from the Polder" movie

[reinierdijkshoorn-46827 · 8/10 · 12 November 2023]

Already mentioned in previous reviews, the title of the movie suggested a close view of the Hardcore scene in the 90's. I suppose it triggered a lot of old school hardcore fans like me to see the movie. Instead, it was more of a family drama and a nice Dutch version of "Narcos from the Polder", shot in the background of the 90's Hardcore Scene. Pleasant to watch and well acting skill from the young actors who probably where not even born yet to have experienced that time. Nevertheless, musically speaking we were treated on some nice hardcore classics but I still missed some classics from famous DJ's from that time like DJ Paul and DJ Rob for instant. I do hope we will see a real movie from the Hardcore scene someday. Perhaps shot trough the eyes of a DJ from that era..

Marketing better than the movie!

[degraafbendert · 4/10 · 9 December 2023]

Expected the movie would dive more into the Hardcore scene as it grew in the 90s.

But in the end it was just more about drugs and a very predictable story of two brothers.

Of course one of them is the gabber, but clearly immediately super into everything that can be swallowed or can go up the nose.

The younger brother goes along, goes to one party and becomes a gabber. While to me it's very superficial on why he likes it. The story sticks around the 3-4 characters, while it was all about the movement and other gabbers, the family. It now just evolves around the older brother making one obvious bad mistake after the other.

In the end very underwhelming.

The marketing totally outclassed the movie!

Dutch 90's Nostalgia

[martijnwestbroek · 9/10 · 9 December 2023]

The plot is pretty basic, but the movie delivers big time on Dutch 90's nostalgia.

Great impression of the Dutch Gabber scene. And the background views of Rotterdam (The legendary Energiehal and the construction of the Erasmus bridge) makes it even better for me. It's a true salute to my teenage years.

The struggle of parenthood vs teenage rebellion is well executed but could have been more in depth. The movie is almost 2 hours long, but the pace and action was high enough for another 30 minutes in my opinion.

Nevertheless a powerful movie that makes you wonder... Who are the zombies in everyday life anyway? Hardcore will never die!!!!!!

Nice slice of Dutch cultural heritage from the 90's

[michel-binkhorst · 8/10 · 10 December 2023]

While the story is cliché and cheesy, acting is good. No typical Dutch actors, but mostly new and young ones, which is refreshing. Seeing Maxime Hartman as a doorman was just too funny.

Sets are grimy 90's with some amazing attention to detail from that time period, down to the hairgel brand. The piano player role is a nice hat-tip to Matthijs Wognum, the 'gabber pianist', do check out his youtube channel.

It's a fun watch, especially if you were young in the 90's, some major nostalgia going on. The recreation of the Energiehal, with both the proselytisers and far-right groups at the entrance was pretty funny.

Even worse then expected

[thierry-382-12410 · 1/10 · 13 December 2023]

The end of the movie is one of the worst endings ever. Leaving open the storyline about what happened to the guy who was shot, where the girl went, if the older brother lived and if the younger brother got through his audition. Way too much of an artistic ending.

As I was expecting a lot from this movie since I saw the first trailer, my hopes for a great story with good back stories for each main character were probably way too high. Plus being spoiled by great other movies that do take the time to write backstories, the storyline disappointed a lot. The movie depicted the gabber scene as criminal and consisting of low lifes which just isn't true. Not that there aren't types as depicted, but most of the people in the gabber scene are actually great people. On top of that the story feels hasted and there is a lot of back story missing here. It doesn't go into the back story of why the older brother isn't welcome anymore or why the relation ship of the older brother and his girlfriend is like it is.

Do you transcend your life?

[glinstering · 8/10 · 11 November 2023]

With music you transcend your life. In classical music & hardcore. Do you choose the energetic music with edges or the music that we think is a bit more well-behaved. In this movie they seem to reinforce each other. Can you handle the temptations that the life with edges has got and can you maintain yourself on the edges of the volcano or are you slowly slipping away? Do you choose a hardcore life because of resistance to normal life and when you enter it, are you pushed away from normal life? Do people actually choose for living with the protagonist or do they end up with him because they can no longer live elsewhere? These are dilemmas that the film presents to you.

Trip down memory (hardcore) lane

[EelcoH1984 · 8/10 · 27 January 2024]

My friend and I watched the movie for old times sake and it was pretty damn amazing. They put a lot of detail in the surrounding (entrance/ tunnel Energiehal), clothing (Australian suits and Nikes, even one's we had!) and usage of words and quasi-philosophies (intro of the movie). The story is close to some experiences we had and witnessed ourselves during the days as gabbers in Rotterdam-Delft-Den Haag. So a big compliment for the writers who did a good job in the overall research. Some would say that the story is simple or predictable but life back then was for some just how the movie projects. I think that most of us in the scene knew somebody who lived a life like this. If you want to have a great flashback or want to show your kids how it was back in the '90 gabber scene this movies comes close to a documentary and that's a great achievement! Overall we would thank the makers of this tribute of our scene and life. My friend and I had a good afternoon and a lot to talk about. Hardcore never dies!

Stereotypical & dissapointing

[apftenhave · 1/10 · 24 December 2023]

As someone who did grow up in this era, it does highlight all the negatives about this lifestyle. Gabbers as addicts, rascists & dealing drugs. Creating webs of lies and everyone involved seems to just blindly go along with everything. I missed depth & background. I was hoping to see more of the contrast of the classical music versus hardcore and how both can take you to higher grounds or something. It felt like it was a promotion for a certain lifestyle and also like it was trying to create sympathy for some main characters, that made nothing else but poor choices dragging everyone down. It also made it seem like the parents where at fault of their destiny while it seems like a simplification of the situation.

Very cool movie but weird ending

[willemse-marco · 9/10 · 29 November 2023]

Anyone who knows anything about the hardcore genre will love this movie, anyone who doesn't will probably not like it.

The story is about a guy who falls in love with the hardcore scene because of his brother, the problem is that he slips away from real life and messes up a lot of things including the relationship with his parents.

Story was good-ish and acting was great. The K (C) word has been said a lot which i don't care.

The ending was weird, it tells me there has to be a part 2 some day because what happened to the main character? What happened during the forest scene? What about the girl?

A true gem in Dutch cinema, and must-watch for the gabbers from the 90's.

[valentinopso · 10/10 · 16 December 2023]

The film is rather short, trippy almost with colour enhancements and flashy settings. The aspect ratio is almost square and a 90's filter is used, possibly inspired by my favourite movie: Mommy by Xavier Dolan.

This results in the attention being constantly placed in the middle of the screen.

All of that sums up the film quite well. It's a trip. Not incredibly deep or emotional, no dramatic outbursts, just a bunch of kids being high and doing stupid stuff, and the viewer essentially following, and getting sucked into it, becoming part of the trip this film is.

Now, I understand the main criticism others have mentioned. The fact that the story isn't revolutionary and at times predictable. And it being more of a teen drama than explaining what it was like during the 'gabber' golden age.

But I also have to disagree. The title reflects well throughout the film and besides referring to the music style never dying, it also refers to the invincible feeling kids during these times had, often fueled by drugs.

The film could have been a bit more explanatory of the actual scene in the 90's, and I would. Still like to see movies about DJ's from the 90's, but then that also risks of being more of a documentary and might lack a storyline all-in-all which this film certainly didn't.

On top of that, the story in this film is very real to many during those times and teens all over still today. Classic heavy teenage issues but this time with some interesting twists.

My dad grew up during that time and was very much part of the scene and confirmed that the story of the protagonist happened to so many.

The music is fantastic, the acting is absolutely superb, surrounding are well-set-up reflecting the 90s in The Netherlands, and the ending couldn't have been better.

A great watch.

Film for fans of the gabber style, but otherwise more your standard drug film.

[movieman6-413-929510 · 5/10 · 11 November 2023]

Hardcore Never Dies is a new crime drama directed by Jim Taihuttu, director of De Oost and Wolf.

Michael (Joes Brauers) dreams of musical training to become a pianist. When his education doesn't go well, his brother Danny (Jim Deddes) teaches him about gabber music. Michael seems to have a feeling for this too.

In addition to the new music style, drug trafficking unfortunately also emerges in this world. As a result, the brothers have to fight together for their lives when the dangers from this side increase.

This is an entertaining film for people who like the gabber music and the other things that come with it, such as the kind of humor that comes with it. Apart from the music style, the other drug trafficking aspects seem a bit familiar compared to other crime films that deal with this.

The cast consists of only four people, but is largely supported by the bond between the two brothers. Joes Brauers and Jim Deddes come across as believable as two brothers trying to make it together in this gabber music and drugs world.

unfinished and boring

[arielaspalla · 1/10 · 28 December 2023]

There is nothing new in this film that you haven't seen already... the violence (without redemption though) and the difficult brotherhood / family of American History X, drugs problems as The Story of Christiane F or Berlin Calling. Except, that they are playing hardcore.

I went till the end to get some sense, but it is just overly disappointing too.

I understand that gabbers are appreciating this film because of the music and the outfit... but I think it's the only thing you can enjoy. Unless you are not a gabber, like myself.

I have sympathised with their family and I have found a bit of relief when I could listen Beethoven. I'm sorry, that is music for real.

Unless you were into it back in the 1990s, skip it

[beacalzada · 5/10 · 17 December 2023]

I really wanted to like this one, but it fell short for me. I guess those who have liked it a lot is because they first-handedly experienced the hardcore music scene in the 1990s. This was not the case for me and so I really feel disappointed. The whole concept of the movie hinges totally upon the viewers' nostalgia. I could have learned something about the gabber scene but I didn't - though I got the gist of the aesthetics and music (not a fan of it). So, moving past that, the storyline was *too* predictable. This movie's story has been told 100 times! But this one is different in that the ending is pretty lame.

While the acting was good, the characters were mostly one-dimensional and not likable. About 15-20 minutes before the ending I was looking forward to the characters dying so the movie would end - that's how bad it was. Moreover, the characters supposed to be minors looked clearly in their mid-twenties, which added an awkward note.

Overall for non-Dutch audiences, I'd recommend giving this one a pass.

More about drugs than Hardcore

[suusdaanmadelief · 4/10 · 20 January 2024]

I was looking forward seeing this movie, being a Rotterdam Gabber myself. Saw the scene rising in the 90's and danced my way through the 00's visiting hundreds of Hardcore parties and events. The scene like I know it is not that negative like portrayed in the movie. Everybody was so happy and friendly how I experienced it. In the movie everybody looked so angry and there were a lot of drugs and violence, they were the main subject. I missed the music, the artists, the fun, the friendship, the excitement. For me the title is misleading. I did enjoy seeing the city and the clothing from the 90's. But I missed the true Hardcore spirit.

Waste of time

[silverangel_151 · 4/10 · 23 March 2024]

'Happy' that we could watch it on Prime so we didn't have to pay for it. Complete waste of time, good marketing and that was it. It is not a 'trip down memory lane'. It is just a standard drug movie. Nothing more. It has nothing to do with hardcore, just a guy who brings everyone down with him and disrespects everyone around him and is not ashamed or afraid to bring people in apparent danger. A waste of money, people, resources and especially a complete waste of a good opportunity. I had my hopes high for this project/movie but we experienced only disappointment. The very few good things: a little bit of good music and the acting was also fine.

Abysmal acting

[olafhendriksen · 2/10 · 15 January 2024]

If you look at the rest of the 1 or 2 stars rating of this film you will have the sum up of my opinion. But I never read anything about the level of acting in this film. It's bad, especially the main character Danny. The guy is just reading lines on camera. The rest of the cast is following suite but Danny (Jim Deddes) leads by example.

The plot is as thin as a rake with a rip deal, whilst the guy being ripped exactly knows where his merch is being sold, like that will ever happen.

All and all so many missed opportunities, and a (conscious) open ending. Shame.

Prime is cheap and so is this movie.