Hardcore: MaXXXine is a Bloody End to an Unusual Trilogy

A24

3/5 stars

When X was first released, it seemed little more than a well-made slasher movie throwback. After the release of Pearl, we got a campy ambitious origin story that proved the series had more tricks up its sleeve. Now director Ti West and star Mia Goth give us the bloody conclusion to easily one of the strangest trilogies ever conceived with MaXXXine and while it contains beautiful cinematography, strong acting and an appropriately sleazy atmosphere, it just doesn't live up to the ambitions set by its predecessors.
In 1985, six years after the events in X, Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) has become a top star in the adult entertainment industry and is now attempting to make the leap to Hollywood films. Things seem to be going in her favor when she lands a big role in a horror film, but soon her friends are being stalked and killed by a mysterious serial killer. Maxine learns that this killer has a connection to her past which is now coming back to haunt her.
If X was inspired by the "porno chic" and exploitation fare of the '70s and Pearl took its inspiration from the lavish musicals and technicolor melodramas of Hollywood's Golden Age, then MaXXXine is clearly inspired by Italian Giallo films and Brian De Palma's '80s thrillers.
West makes great use of the cinematic gloss and striking colors of the era's films. That said, the story is much more meandering than the other two and gives us a third act that feels both over-the-top and underwhelming. West is clearly a lover of cinema, but now that he's gotten these films out of his system, maybe it's time to move on to something else.

Written and directed by Ti West // Starring Mia Goth, Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Michelle Monaghan, Bobby Canavale, Halsey, Lily Collins, Chloe Farnworth, Deborah Geffner, Giancarlo Esposito, and Kevin Bacon // 104 minutes // A24 // Rated 'R'