Review: Hobo with a Shotgun

B+: An all-or-nothing gambit from the title on down.

Like last year’s Machete, Jason Eisener’s Hobo with a Shotgun originated from a fake trailer created for 2007’s Grindhouse. Unlike Machete, Hobo feels like an honest-to-goodness exploitation flick unleashed from the grimy depths of the ‘70s and ‘80s, as opposed to a post-post-modern wink-fest. Better yet, this terrifically mean-spirited and ultra-violent piece of schlock finds itself surprisingly well-anchored by Rutger Hauer’s performance as the titular vagrant.

Our homeless, nameless anti-hero rides in on the rails to Hope City, home to anything but. The streets are crime-ridden, the cops corrupt, with everyone under the thumb of The Drake (Brian Downey) and his two obnoxious sons, Ivan and Slick (Nick Bateman and Gregory Smith). The Hobo is a pacifist with only a lawnmower in his sights and the domestic bliss it represents on his mind, but once he saves golden-hearted hooker Abby (Molly Dunsworth), the Hobo is harassed by first the police and then the hair-slicked villains. By the time he can finally buy himself that lawnmower, he finds himself in the middle of a robbery and forced to take action with an equally priced firearm …

Eisener nails the neon-bright, nigh expressionistic color scheme of Karim Hussain’s cinematography, the synth-heavy score, and the general air of sleaze and nihilism that defined so many exploitation films that served as an influence; Hope Town here exists in the same universe as The Warriors’ vision of NYC and anything released under the Troma banner. The depravity on display is boundless, the one-liners are corny as hell, the splatter sure is plentiful, and the entire ensemble delivers performances worthy of the film’s exuberant tone.

But what really puts this over-the-top extravaganza over the top is Hauer’s ferocious and oddly sincere performance. Whether he’s warning a nursery full of infants away from lives of panhandling or imploring that Abby follow her dream (well, his idea of her dream) of becoming a schoolteacher, he manages to earn sympathy in a film that has little interest in it. As one headline reads, “Hobo Stop Begging, Demands Change;” he wants a better tomorrow for a town that doesn’t want him, even if he won’t live to see it.

Regardless of Hauer’s terrific turn, this is pretty much an all-or-nothing gambit from the title on down. If the concept alone doesn’t do anything for you, then go ahead and get your kicks elsewhere. If the novelty hasn’t worn off, though, then rest assured that, over 86 minutes, Hobo with a Shotgun will deliver enough bang for your buck.

Hobo with a Shotgun is currently in limited release and is also available on demand.

Grade: B+

Source: film.com

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