Hobo with a Shotgun

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.

He's a guardian angel walking the streets, a vicious protector of the weak and innocent. He is the hobo with a shotgun. He is Rutger Hauer. Hobo with a Shotgun is the story of... well, the title pretty much says it all. Bad guys led by a enjoyably psychotic gang lord named Drake dominate the unnamed city that is the setting of the movie. Drake and his two equally messed up offspring, Slick and Ivan, terrorize the people of this tortured city uncontested until the arrival of Hauer's Hobo, intent on using his saved nickels and dimes to buy a rusty old lawnmower that will surly start him on a honest, rewarding career. Sadly for Mr. Hobo, destiny has other plans, and our hero uses his mower money to purchase a old pump action shotgun with the intent of cleaning up the city. Along the way he is aided by a prostitute named Abby (a stunningly beautiful Molly Dunsworth) who has an affinity for destruction.

This films greatest strength is its oddball tone and freakishly beautiful bursts of violence that occur periodically through the movie. The chunks of the movie that involve crazy old Rutger Hauer blasting through waves of baddies in brutal fashion and the bizarre acts of violence perpetrated by the films antagonists are easily the highlights, and they never fail to delight with their brilliant, twisted gore effects. Director Jason Eisener is a master of cinematic displays of blood and guts, and god bless him for it because it takes the film to a whole other level. I would love to provide an example for your reading pleasure, but tragically spoiling any part of this movie is a crime to heinous to contemplate committing. Just know you will leave the theater feeling like a changed man after the brutal displays of carnage presented.

Unfortunately, the film is ultimately brought down by some poor scenes that stretched on for agonizing lengths. Many of these involve our homeless protagonist ranting senselessly to his lovely caretaker Abby, others involve the already hyperbolically inflated villains plotting the death of the Hobo. Perhaps what is most tragic is that Hauer, with the exception several brilliant lines in the films third act, never gets a chance to truly shine as the shotgun wielding hero, a huge disappointment considering the potential he possessed. Regardless of these flaws, the film is still an incredible experience based solely on the incredible displays of creative gore.

***1/2 out of (****)

Eisener's exploitative 80's grindhouse throwback, "Hobo with a Shotgun", showcasing its brutality shamelessly, is easily the best grindhouse film to ever grace the silver screen. "Grindhouse", "Machete", and "Drive Angry 3D" are all strong staples to the beloved subgenre, but "Hobo" is where its at. It's bigger, louder, and prouder. In all honesty, this is one of the goriest films I've seen in a while, and it takes a lot for me to say that because even the goriest Saw film doesn't fulfill my bloody craving. The best part about "Hobo" is not only doesn't it play it safe, but there's so much meaning, and depth underneath it, and is executed so strongly that the message never becomes lost or preachy.

"Hobo" revolves around well... a hobo. An anonymous one at that who witnesses the catastrophes of the city, and decides to fight back.

First of all, the plot is just ingenious. A hobo who's tired of getting picked on and besmirched by the townspeople decides to take a stand. Not only is it a badass story, but can't we all relate to the plot? Haven't we all been pushed around too long, and just wanted to do something. To be something truly special. Also, while the deaths are pretty sick, there's more meat on these bones. The film relies on what a film should rely on. Its characters. The relationship between Abby and the hobo is a strong one. I actually cared about these two. What does it say if a film of the title "Hobo with a Shotgun" has more character development than 95% of the garbage being released today?

To put the icing on the cake, the production values are sweet. This film has a superb nostalgic look, and it's one of the most colorful and vibrant movies projected on screen. But why are we here? For the deaths! And boy, do they not disappoint. Eating glass, decapitating heads, and shots to the head are not even the goriest segments. Actually, they're the tamest. Not only that but almost every five minutes there's blood. Whether a dead body in a shot, random blood, or a kill occurring. This is just a huge blood bath. And a great one at that.

Also, what I loved about this movie is the lack of gratuitous nudity. I hate how almost every grindhouse flick has to have the need to throw in random boobs or sex in the film. I know it's part of the titillation, but it's rather absurd, and feels out of context. "Hobo" had one scene exposing those jugs, and it actually fit the mood because of its humor. However, it was just THAT scene and wasn't littered throughout the movie.

Ignore those reviewers saying they were "disappointed" because it wasn't "what they were expecting". If you're expecting a good time, dammit, you're going to get one. Two strong leads, heaps and heaps of blood, a slick story, and some solid production values. You're going to tell me that doesn't even get you excited in the slightest? "Hobo with a shotgun" might just be the best movie I'll see this year. The others have just not delivered on what they promised. How sad is it to see a movie with this title can actually be the best movie of the year, when probably half of the Oscar choices will be pretentious dribble. Don't even think about seeing this film. Just do it. Go ahead, I'll wait.

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!!