Hardcore (1979)

When the daughter of devoutly religious midwestern businessman Jake Van Dorn (George C. Scott) disappears on a trip to Los Angeles sponsored by the family's Calvinist church, Jake's search for his daughter, Niki (Season Hubley), leads him into a shocking world of pornography. HARDCORE, an early venture from writer-director Paul Schrader, features what may be Scott's best performance (this side of PATTON) as a man shattered by his daughter's descent into the world of porn. In California, Jake hires Andy Mast (Peter Boyle), a sleazy Hollywood private detective, to help him find Niki; the two descend into the sordid realm of the hardcore sex industry, determined to retrieve her. An intentionally jarring shift of tones via editing techniques, the inherent strong material of the story, and interesting comparisons between conservative religious fanaticism and the porn industry give HARDCORE a unique depth in its portrayal of a man whose moral compass is suddenly put into question.