Hobo with a Shotgun [DVD]

Hobo with a Shotgun is directed by Jason Eisener and written by John Davies. It stars Rutger Hauer, Brian Downey, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth, Robb Wells and Nick Bateman. Music is by Alexander Rosborough and cinematography by Karim Hussain.

A homeless hobo (Hauer) hitches a freight train lift into Hope Town and finds a city imploding with corruption, violence, drugs and sexual deviance. Initially trying to keep out of the way and get on with his meagre existence, the hobo finally cracks and decides he can no longer sit back and watch such lawlessness. Helping himself to a shotgun from the local pawn shop, hobo goes on a one man killing crusade.

Born out of a trailer that accompanied the original full release of Rodriguez/Tarrantino's Grindhouse venture, Hobo with a Shotgun is horror exploitation made with abundant glee. Blending Death Wish like vigilantism with 70s and 80s styled schlock, Jason Eisener has crafted an utterly tasteless, yet wonderfully entertaining, piece of cinema. Violence is broad and completely bloody, as heads are exploded, bodies punctured and characters slotted in a series of increasingly strange ways, while the characters that inhabit Hope Town are downright nasty and equally weird. From bully boy Tom Cruise homage brother bastards Ivan & Slick, to a paedophile Santa Claus, and on to The Plague-two metal suited fetish killers sent to take out the hobo-it's bizarreville for sure.

It's all driven by a great turn from Hauer, who manages to play it with raw and subtle emotion, even as the rage takes control of him and he deals death as surely as he delivers a memorable line. Around him are a bunch of no mark actors, but this works in the films favour, the material doesn't need star wattage to drive its motor, besides which, you will undoubtedly come out of the film remembering the characters these actors have played. Shot in suitably lurid Technicolor by Hussain and featuring an on the money score by Rosborough, all the elements for a Grindhouse feature fall into place. It basically does what the title suggests it will, yes it may at times veer towards crassness, and what social comment depthness is intended gets lost as Eisener gets carried away with the carnage, but this is a whole bunch of fun for adults who remember the past movies this homages and parodies in equal measure. 8/10

Hello everyone.

Firstly, an apology to Amazon: I didn't buy the film here. Although the user reviews (and a nod from my brother) informed my purchase and I have (and continue to) buy loads of stuff here so I think I'm okay to comment.

This film was fun (as long as you like this kind of thing). I reckon if you like Evil Dead, Re-animator, Troma et al then you'll like this too. It's tongue-in-cheek rubbish! So there's not much of a story - who cares? This isn't a 'story' kind of film.

The thing that bothers me most is some of the one star reviews (I say 'some' because if you simply don't like it or it's not your kind of thing then that's fine - diversity makes the world rotate!). But 'lose your soul'? Where on Earth does that come from? I can only assume that those are the words of someone heavily indoctinated or just too immature to make an informed decision. They certainly shouldn't be watching this unsupervised. Prior to watching this film I watched a three part documentary on the way Hitler brainwashed the young of the Fatherland - uncomfortable viewing and, most importantly, REAL! A bit of persepctive is needed here - the real world will and can and does throw up worse than anything you see in this film and if films such as this are all you have to complain about then you need to come out of your hole and look around - there's stuff happening out there that demands your attention.

So, to sum up - escapist trash for those of us who love this kind of thing. And a thumb-sucker-cry-for-mummy for those who haven't a clue about what goes on around them. Film; reality. Small; far away .....

Cheers!

Andy.

Well Hobo With A Shotgun has won the not exactly prestiged position of film of the year in my book.The title alone is a wonderful conceit,certainly a viewer will not be under any illiusions when choosing to watch this movie.I am just loving how the video nasty aesthetics have ended up at the multiplex,on DVD.After the smug calamity of Tarantinos supposed Grindhouse effort here we have a properly realised exploitation flick.Rutger Hauer is great as the heroic vigilante Hobo,as is most effective in these knowing homage movies he plays it straight even adding a little pathos in what really is a disposable role.The movie is set in a hyper violent world kind of reminding me of Repo Man,in fact for movie junkies theres lots of touchstones from Troma to Re Animater.Its sickeningly gory,buckets of blood,decapitations and very nasty black humour indeed.Within the first five minutes a head is rolling in a street.The movie is shot wonderfully too.The actress Molly Dunsworth is a real cutie and holds her own amongst the flying guts,lecherous policeman and electrical equipment being used for the wrong purposes.This movie rolls around the dirt like a pig in mud with barely a moral in its bone from tramp fighting to scorched schoolbuses though it has to be highlighted its done in a very garish, cranked up Tom And Jerry style.The more disconcerning,shall we say boring,viewer should rent or buy another movie.A date movie?Probably not.But for all the semi pyschotic,straight to video bubble gum brained film geeks its a must.