A grimy yet fun bit of exploitation, ‘Hobo with a Shotgun’ will only work for a select audience, but for those who embrace it, few movies will be a bigger valentine to their grindhouse sensibilities than this one. The film is literally a product of the movie ‘Grindhouse’, and evolved due to a contest. Co-writer/director Jason Eisner took the ball and ran with it, turning out what literally looks like a fake trailer made full length into a real movie. Surprisingly, it doesn’t wear thin and manages to keep its tongue planted firmly in cheek the whole time, allowing the flick to be effective. Rutger Hauer is having the time of his life in the title role, and Eisner goes all out. This is about as out there as a film with this concept could get, but somehow it works.
The title hobo (Hauer) wants nothing more than to get enough money to acquire a lawnmower and start a small business. He happens to live in what looks like hell on earth though, so this proves surprisingly difficult. When he witnesses one murder too many at the hands of the ruthless Drake (Brian Downey) and his sons Slick (Gregory Smith) and Ivan (Nick Bateman), he decides to step up. He saves a hooker named Abby (Molly Dunsworth) from Slick, and eventually comes into possession of the weapon he’ll become synonymous with. Shotgun in hand, the hobo goes gunning for Drake. The town will literally be painted in red as he blows away all manner of scum, including crooked cops and a pedophile Santa. It’s ridiculous, but a decent amount of fun.
Rutger Hauer is pretty much the only one in the cast who manages to make his over-acting not seem a bit on the gimmicky side. There’s a bit of emotion in his character, giving you some manner of a rooting interest. His interactions with Abby have a tenderness, and are our only break from the gore. Hauer keeps the flick from going completely over the edge. Dunsworth is decent enough, but her role is pretty generic. Everyone else is borderline terrible, though Downey appears to be channeling Dennis Hopper at times. You can’t expect high quality acting here, and you don’t get it. Luckily, the over-acting fits the entire feel of the film, so it’s not a major issue.
By making the film feel like a grindhouse work to its core, Jason Eisner does a rather competent directing job here. He’s still a bit raw, but he clearly knows the type of film he wants to make, and he achieves his goals. It feels very 80’s, and I mean that in a (mostly) good way. I’d be interested in seeing more from Eisner in the future. The script is much more scattershot (co-penned by Eisner, Rob
Cotterill, and John Davies), with more than a few howlingly bad lines, but it does what it needs to do overall. It could have been wittier, but it gets the job done.
You likely already know if you’re interested in seeing ‘Hobo with a Shotgun’, so my review isn’t likely to sway you, but take it from me…this is worth checking out. It’s very silly, but it’s different and a decent amount of fun. My guess is that few will love it, but few will hate it, so those in between should wind up like me…liking it enough to give it a thumbs up. It’s ridiculous, but it’s never boring, so I have to give it that. Give it a shot and see for yourself!
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