'Hobo with a Shotgun' - Grindhouse Exploitation Cinema Resurrected

"Hobo With A Shotgun" is utterly shameless exploitation sleaze, and it wears said sleaze like a badge of honor while rubbing your face right in it. The movie emanated from a fake trailer contest Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez put together for the release of "Grindhouse," and it is the second film to come from 2007 film ("Machete" being the first). I guess "Thanksgiving" and "Don't" are not far behind.

Director Jason Eisener and writer John Davies hit the jackpot by casting Rutger Hauer as the hobo of the title who arrives in Hope Town straight off of a freight train. We soon find though that this town is the kind 1980's' exploitation never forgot as it is a literal hellhole like the one in "Death Wish 3" with no redeeming qualities other than the low monthly rent on apartments. None of this is lost on those unlucky enough to be residents, one of which has sprayed graffiti on the town sign so it says "Scum Town."

Leading this rampage of senseless bloody violence (and believe me, this is one seriously bloody movie) is The Drake (Brian Downey) who rules the town with an iron fist covered in razor blades along with his two bastard sons Ivan (Nick Bateman) and Slick (Gregory Smith), both whom are dressed like they just came off the set of "Risky Business." All the hobo wants is to buy a lawnmower and start his own business, but when he gets pushed too far, he ends up using the money he saved up on a shotgun instead and begins bringing an excruciatingly painful justice that the town cannot ignore. As for where he got the money to buy bullets for the shotgun, I have no idea. Maybe he stole the bullets --

Grindhouse movies were big in the 70's and 80's, and they have been making a bit of a comeback in the last few years. Eisener does great work in getting the exploitation style down to where it seems pitch perfect, and the colors on display almost make it look like a super low budget "Suspiria." Much of the credit for that should go to Director of Photography Karim Hussain. It also has a fantastic retro soundtrack that has the John Carpenter-esque synthesizer sound. I miss those kinds of movie scores a lot actually, and I get the feeling we could use a little more electronic music and less orchestral compositions from time to time.

"Hobo With A Shotgun," however, is not as effective as it could have been. The thing that makes Grindhouse movies so much fun to watch today is that we revel in what is so infinitely bad about them. You also have to acknowledge that these films were made by people who actually thought they were making something important and ended up failing in spectacular fashion. Another important thing to remember when heading into the movie theater; don't moralize what's on the screen. These movies are never to be taken seriously.

Having sad all that, the violence in "Hobo With A Shotgun" (and I can't believe I'm saying this) gets to be too much at times. Some of the viscera on the display is definitely fun for fans of this genre, but Eisener ends up losing the balance between the violence and black humor to where it's more painful than funny. You want to enjoy the creative process in putting these sinful deaths together especially on such a low budget, but I found myself getting more uncomfortable with what was onscreen. Plus, there is a scene involving a school bus which I really could have done without as it threatened to kill off whatever enjoyment this exploitation flick had left to offer.

Still this movie is never ever boring, and when it does work, it works like gangbusters. Hauer's initial rampage on the most disgusting residents of Hope Town is fulfilling in a primal way, and there is something to be said for him blowing the head off of a pedophile dressed as Santa Claus. If you thought Santa got a bad rap from "Silent Night, Deadly Night," wait till you see what's on display here! I also seriously dug some of the newspaper headlines featured, and they go straight to the point of how this is the one homeless person justified in demanding change!

It's great to see Rutger here, and it feels like forever since he's had a lead role in a motion picture. The genius actor behind such classics like "Blade Runner," "Ladyhawke," and "The Hitcher" (the original, not the Michael Bay produced crapfest) gives this hobo a depth and conviction he might otherwise not have had. He makes you care about this homeless down on his luck guy, and the speech he gives in front of a hospital nursery is one of the film's high points and also good for a few laughs.

I also enjoyed Molly Dunsworth's performance as the prostitute Abby. She's your typical hooker with a heart of gold, but Molly makes her more than just an average stereotype, quickly turning her into a likable character. She also gets her own Bruce Campbell "Evil Dead 2" moment as we watch her modifying her gear for a more deadly effect. I kept expecting her to say this when she was finished:

"Groovy!"

There's also something to be said for Brian Downey's over the top performance as The Drake. In portraying such a repulsive character, he does have some great comic moments. One such moment has him taking a saying of how life throws something at you in an incredibly literal sense.

"Hobo With A Shotgun" does have a number of things to admire about it, but in the end it's a mixed bag at best. The balance between the serious and more comic elements is way off at times, and the violence is off putting when it should be gleefully over the top. It does however successfully emulate the look and feel of exploitation movies of the past, and fans of those should find much to like about this one. And you have Rutger Hauer still kicking the bad guys' butts after all these years in spectacular fashion.

* * ½ out of * * * *

See also:

Grindhouse

Machete