Hard Candy (2006) Movie Information:

Hard Candy (2006) Directed by: David Slade Hard Candy (2006) Written by: Brian Neilson Hard Candy (2006) Cast: Jennifer Holmes, Sandra Oh, Ellen Page, Patrick Wilson

Hard Candy (2006) U.S. Distributor: Lionsgate Hard Candy (2006) U.K. Distributor: Lionsgate

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Hard Candy (2006) Synopsis:

A smart, charming teenage girl, Hayley probably shouldn’t be going to a local coffee shop to meet Jeff, a 30-something fashion photographer she met on the Internet. But Hayley’s ready to have fun, and soon she’s mixing screwdrivers at Jeff’s place and stripping for an impromptu photo shoot. It’s Jeff’s lucky night – until his vision blurs and he passes out. Turns out Hayley isn’t as innocent as she looks after all. In fact, she has a lot on her mind. Like getting Jeff to confess to his penchant for teenage girls – and to what he did to Donna Mauer, the girl who disappeared from Jeff’s favorite coffee shop. When Jeff awakens, he’s tied to a chair. If he doesn’t cooperate, Hayley has something to help him along--a little surgical procedure she picked up on the Internet. All she needs is an ice pack. And a knife... An edge-of-your-seat psychotic thriller, HARD CANDY exposes the visceral terror and violence that lie at the heart of the battle of the sexes. Starring Patrick Wilson and Ellen Page, HARD CANDY is directed by David Slade, written by Brian Nelson, produced by David Higgins, Richard Hutton and Michael Caldwell, and executive produced by Jody Patton, Rosanne Korenberg and Paul G. Allen. It is the latest film from Vulcan Productions (FAR FROM HEAVEN, TITUS) in association with Launchpad Productions. The director of photography is Jo Willems, the editor is Art Jones, the production designer is Jeremy Reed. The original music is by Harry Esscott and Molly Nyman, and the casting is by Valerie McCaffrey.

Hard Candy (2006) Movie Review:

After chatting for three weeks on the Internet, Hayley (Page) and Jeff (Wilson) finally decide to meet. He is a thirty-two year-old photographer and she is a fourteen year-old honour student. However mature she may act, they both know it is wrong but as they return to Jeff’s home to look at his portfolio, Hayley starts to change from the provocative and inquisitive young girl into one that suspects he is a paedophile and Hayley is going to expose him.

With a plotline that is bound to cause controversy, ‘Hard Candy’ is a difficult film to watch but an impossible one to ignore.

Music video director David Slade makes his big screen debut with a movie that will set the standard for psychotic thrillers for many years to come. He and writer Brian Nelson use the Internet slang term for young girls as the title for a movie that exposes the darkest sides of sexual predators and a victim’s revenge.

The film drags you down one path and then slams you into another. At first we see a deviant at work, drawing an innocent young girl into his grasp and manipulating her into starting a relationship. This is very difficult to watch but is needed to set the base of the story and take us into a whole different direction. The plot changes dramatically when Hayley quickly takes control and this sweet and naive fourteen year-old girl turns into an instrument of revenge and justice against one of the most sickening of crimes. This puts the audience in a very awkward position, as you do not know who to feel for, paedophile’s victim or the victim of revenge.

The two lead player’s play out this character driven piece for ninety-nine percent of running time and because of this we need two actors that can captivate you throughout. Patrick Wilson has made a few waves in Hollywood with his performances in films like ‘The Alamo’, ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and the TV mini-series ‘Angels in America’ but this is the movie that will put him on every casting directors list. His transformation from predator to victim is pivotal to the plot of the film because if he doesn’t get it right you won’t be able to have any kind of sympathy for his character as what he is doing is so morally despicable.

It is Ellen Page that steals the film however with a performance that is quite simply stunning. She also goes through a transformation but hers is even more dramatic than Jeff’s. Hayley has to be a fourteen year-old girl who is about to be trapped and then dramatically transform into a revenge driven, loose cannon who is just as dangerous Jeff ever could be. Her performance is totally astonishing and one that will live with you for a very long time.

‘Hard Candy’ is as disturbing as it is captivating. This is a film that will repulse you and even make you laugh, in the darkest of ways but most importantly it is a movie that you will not easily forget.

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Hard Candy (2006) review written by: Jamie Kelwick