Hardcore

Hardcore

Year: 1979

Runtime: 108 min

Language: English

Director: Paul Schrader

DramaThriller

A desperate Midwestern man travels to California's adult film industry in a frantic search for his missing teenage daughter. Driven by love and concern, he confronts the dark and exploitative nature of the business as he navigates a dangerous world filled with temptation and hidden truths, determined to find her and bring her home.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline – Hardcore (1979)

Trace every key event in Hardcore (1979) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Kristen vanishes during church trip

In December 1977, Kristen Van Dorn disappears during a church-sponsored trip to Bellflower, California. Jake Van Dorn, a devout Calvinist businessman from Grand Rapids, is devastated and begins a long, fruitless search as months pass with no leads.

December 1977 Bellflower, California
2

Stag film evidence surfaces

In May 1978, Andy Mast presents Van Dorn with a shocking discovery: an 8 mm stag film purchased in a Los Angeles sex shop, depicting Kristen engaged in a sexual act with two men. The footage convinces Jake that his daughter has been kidnapped and trafficked into sex work.

May 1978 Grand Rapids, Michigan
3

Jake travels to Los Angeles

Jake flies to Los Angeles to confront private investigator Andy Mast, only to find Mast distracted by a porn star he was supposed to investigate. The encounter makes Jake realize Mast is not going to help him.

May 1978 Los Angeles, California
4

Mast is fired; Van Dorn goes rogue

Frustrated with Mast and the LAPD's indifference, Van Dorn fires Mast and decides to take matters into his own hands, plunging into the city's seedy underbelly to pursue clues about Kristen.

May 1978 Los Angeles, California
5

Posing as a producer; calling for informants

Van Dorn adopts a ruse as a pornography producer and places an ad in the Los Angeles Free Press to lure informants, hoping to uncover Kristen's whereabouts. The move marks a turn into undercover work.

May 1978 Los Angeles, California
6

Motel room responses lead to Niki

Respondents flood Jake's motel room, including 'Jism Jim.' After a violent interrogation, Jim directs him to Niki, a streetwise prostitute who may know Kristen. The encounter pulls Jake deeper into the porn world.

May 1978 Los Angeles, California
7

Niki joins the search

Jake pays Niki to guide him through California's porn circuit, forming an uneasy alliance as they begin to follow leads and navigate a world that challenges his beliefs about sexuality and power.

May–June 1978 California
8

Mast tails the pair

Unknown to Jake, his brother-in-law Wes rehires Mast, who tails the two as their search intensifies, bringing additional pressure and surveillance to their mission across the state.

May–June 1978 California
9

Crossing California

Their uneasy partnership carries them from Los Angeles to San Diego and finally to San Francisco, with Niki and Jake slowly bridging their ideological divides as they travel.

May–June 1978 California
10

Ratan and Tod emerge in San Francisco

In San Francisco, Niki connects Van Dorn to Tod, a dealer linked to Ratan, a sadistic pornographer rumored to produce snuff films, deepening the danger of the search.

June 1978 San Francisco, California
11

Screening of Ratan's film

In a dimly lit sex shop, Van Dorn endures a screening of Ratan's latest film—a gruesome murder of a Mexican sex worker in Tijuana—traumatizing him, though he is relieved the victim isn't Kristen.

June 1978 San Francisco, California
12

Pressure and intimidation

Jake pressures Tod's address from Niki, who fears abandonment if Kristen isn't found, and he strikes her to secure compliance, pushing their uneasy alliance toward a crisis point.

June 1978 San Francisco, California
13

The hideout and revelation

Jake tracks Tod to a bondage dungeon and brutalizes him into revealing Ratan's hideout: a nightclub hosting live sex shows, where he hopes to find Kristen. The discovery escalates toward a dangerous confrontation.

June 1978 San Francisco, California
14

Nightclub confrontation and truth

Inside the nightclub, Van Dorn confronts Ratan and discovers Kristen in the audience; Mast then shoots Ratan in the back from across the street as police arrive. Kristen reveals she fled voluntarily, rejecting her father's rigid upbringing, and agrees to return home. In the crowd, Van Dorn spots Niki and, though grateful, their bond remains severed as Niki vanishes and the two depart for Grand Rapids.

June 1978 Nightclub, San Francisco; city street outside

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:58

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Hardcore Summary

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Hardcore Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Hardcore

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