Hobo with a Shotgun

A homicidal hobo (a well-cast Rutger Hauer) drifts into a hellish town with the intent of purchasing a lawnmower but buys a shotgun instead and proceeds to messily clean up the streets. The film is an over-the-top parody of grindhouse films inspired by one of the 'fake trailers' in the Tarantino and Rodriguez-helmed 'Grindhouse' (2007; itself a parody of the obscure genre). Full of gleeful blood and gore, Hobo won't be to all tastes but is fast moving and splatterly fun. Shot in Nova Scotia, one of the first sanguineous scenes sees the bloody demise of Robb Wells (Trailer Park Boys' 'Ricky') and the lead villain ('The Drake') is Canadian actor Brian Downey (Stanley Tweedle in 'Lexx' (1997)). Cartoonish at times, the film sometimes has the look of a late-night commercial (especially in scenes involving Ivan and Slick, the Drake's murderous sons) but some of the imagery is memorable (in a bargain-basement way) - I especially liked 'The Plague', a pair of armoured, demonic hitmen who appear to battling a giant squid at one point. Good low-brow, high-concept fun for the right crowd (probably boys of all ages) at the right time (probably after midnight).

I first saw this in 2011 on a dvd which I own. Revisited it recently. The film is about a freight-hopper (Rutger Hauer) who arrives in a town filled with criminals, corrupt policemen n hopeless fellas. After witnessing brutal crimes, ineffective police n undergoing torture, our hobo takes a shot gun n starts delivering justice one shell at a time.

This film has two similarities with Charles Bronson's character. In Hard Times, Charles Bronson's character as a hobo arrives in a new town. In Deathwish series, Bronson's character is a vigilante. The film is very violent, entertainingn hilarious. It gets a 7 instead of 8 for being a bit blasphemous.

Well directed, good editing, ott violence, good action scenes. Simple plot to follow, disturbing film ive seen in a while. Rutger hauer plays the hobo character well and keeps you watching throughout as he delivers justice. Has that 80s feel to it and some cool music too.

Overall a decent action film. Would recommend this to anyone Enjoy!!

After using a shotgun hanging in a pawnshop to stop an armed robbery, a homeless man turns celebrated vigilante, much to the annoyance of the corrupt police force in this Canadian action thriller. The film began life as a fake movie trailer and watching the trailer and film back-to-back, it is quite remarkable how much the filmmakers manage to stretch the original premise. The story is hardly airtight with unanswered questions about why the store has loaded weapons on display and how the he keeps accumulating countless bullets really standing out, but it is all a lot of fun with Rutger Hauer perfectly cast in the lead role, several imaginative gory death/maim scenes, plus the filmmakers' acute eye for colour. With lots of neon purple, pink, yellow and other glaring colours throughout, the film possesses a deliciously exaggerated visual look that perfectly complements its over-the-top story. A little too much time is spent on Hauer befriending and conversing with a prostitute who (of course) has a heart of gold, but the prostitute subplot gives the film a welcome 'Taxi Driver'-like quality, with Hauer trying to clean the streets much like Travis Bickle. Where the film really rises above the ordinary though is in its acute depiction of a society that neglects and abuses the homeless. Sure, the way they are mistreated is really overdone, but the satirical edge still sticks.

BRILLIANT IN EVERY WAY!!! Hobo with a Shotgun is a fantastic Vigilante Thriller that could've came out in like 1980 & it's BEAUTIFUL lol!!! Sleazy,ulta violent,brutal,funny,crazy but also has Heart. Watched this so many times as it's so much crazy fun & RUTGER HAUER is BRILLIANT, wow what a performance!!! Hes so good as The homeless old guy looking for a new place to call home. The new town is like an apocalyptic urban ghetto it's full of danger & gangs & sickos & RUTGER has had enough of all the evil around him & gets a Shotgun & delivers his own Justice & it's BEAUTIFUL. The music is outstanding throughout the whole movie IT'S excellent & very 80s & the violence is Awesome & the Hospital scene is BRILLIANT!!! This is the a definite throwback to to the very old skook glory days of "anything goes" shocking Cinema of the Grindhouse days or the gritty & extremely violent world of "Exploitation" Cinema. Hobo is like a long lost "Troma" film from say 1983, this movie has that feel & look & is just a wild ride Vigilante Thriller that turns into a blood soaked splatter-punk flick like "Robocop 2" & it's a glorious gory MASTERPIECE.

Rutger really gives a career best performance as the "Hobo" & gives his lost character a depth & heart & a decency that could've all been lost in a "Grindhouse" style homage flick but with an intense actor like Rutger he brings so much more to the role, he's not just an angry vigilante, he's also a man lost in a disgusting world where everyone seems so nasty & evil. Rutger brings his Hobo to life with a rawness & you can't help but feel sorry for this down & out guy surrounded by scum. There's a serious story within all the bloody violence & craziness & Rutger's performance makes you wonder what the world is coming to? Although everything is hyper-crazy & exaggerated for the entertainment value it's all sick stuff that really does happen in real life.

The use of colour in it's cinematography is beautiful, very colourful & vibrant & sharpens the grit & grime of the urban hell-hole that our Hobo hero is surviving in & every scene is beautifully shot. I cherish this ultra-violent vigilante action Thriller & i thank this low-budget MASTERPIECE for getting me properly into the great "Rutger Hauer" as I've always liked him as an actor from Blade Runner, among a few others but it was performance in "Hobo" that really made me a Fan of the actor & got me checking out his older films & discovering some real Gems like Split Second, Wedlock, Omega Doom among others, the guy is a legend of Cult Cinema.

"Hobo" is a shockingly violent love-letter to old early 80's sick 'n' twisted Grindhouse films & its glorious.

Rutger Hauer R. I. P was a true legend of Cult Cinema & the straight-to-video B-movie world of films & was a unique presence of screen & is a Cult Hero to us movie geeks!!! I absolutely love Rutger in this Grindhouse Classic "Hobo" & the Awesome 90's Sci-fi Horror-Thriller "Split Second" & of Course the sci-fi Classic "Blade Runner" but he truly was great in pretty much anything he starred in & made the movie better by his screen presence, one of my favourite actors.