The Super Network

Hobo With A Shotgun

“You and me are goin’ on a car-ride to hell… and you’re riding shotgun!”

Hobo With A Shotgun was a modern version of the exploitation films from the 70’s and early 80’s, it is the second film to be made from the Grindhouse faux trailers (the first being Machete). So can you make a film successfully from a faux trailer? Machete proved to me that it could be done, but it just was not very good and it tried far too hard to be a true exploitation film. Hobo With A Shotgun is somewhat better than Machete, however where it does improve is that it knows we aren’t in the 70’s and instead of making the film feel washed out and scratched, it just presents it with a low budget feel. There were throw backs to those films, especially with the use of music, visual style and absolute craziness. Director Jason Eisener actually won the Grindhouse contest with his faux trailer, and he managed to turn it around into a full length feature, a pretty impressive feat. It is not a perfect film by any means, exploitation cinema rarely is; the film however is a fun ride and a reminder as to why I became a fan of the genre to begin with (something Machete failed out, which was very disappointing).

The film does not have a complicated plot, it is straight forward and to the point. It takes place in a poor town, where the criminals rule and the police are in their pockets. There is no law, and those with the power can do what they want. Murder happens frequently, on the streets or in the clubs, drug use and prostitution are also common. One homeless man, the hobo whom the title is based on (Rutger Hauer) is tired of how things are, he can no longer stand to see the criminals do whatever they want. With the help of a prostitute Abby (Molly Dunsworth) he takes it upon himself with a shotgun, to try clean up this mess and take revenge out on all those who have it coming. He becomes a vigilante, striking fear into those who have done wrong. I am a fan of the revenge and/or vigilante film, if done right they can be a great ride. I like to see those films have a bit of meaning behind their actions, and surprisingly Hobo actually did. There was a reason and a need to go out and do what he does, and throughout the film these reasons are revealed through some fantastic dialogue.

The film is not for the faint at heart, it truly lives up to being exploitation with its blood and violence. It really is unrelenting, it starts off that way and finishes that way. The opening scene is brutal, we are introduced to how things are here, and the criminals are insane. They are real caricatures of bad guys, so over the top and crazy like the rest of the film. It all just worked, nothing really seemed out of place because it is quickly established and keeps that tone throughout the film. My favourite of the bad guys had to be one of the brothers (sons of the big bad boss) Slick, played by Gregory Smith who was channeling a crazy Fisher Stevens. He did his job well, it was an over the top performance but it worked so well. Of course Rutger Hauer owns this film, and this role. It is pretty awesome that he wanted to do this film and was available to do it. His delivery of the sharp and smart dialogue was quite the sight to see, he was convincing and he never really let on just what sort of film this was. His character is some how the grounded one, he knows what he wants and he’ll stop at nothing to get it. The hobo is a quiet one, but he is someone who has been through a lot and seen a lot, the last straw gets broken and he’s had enough. Hauer shows just what a fantastic actor he is, able to play any type of role in any type of film. The rest of the cast are actually rather forgettable, some are hit and some are miss.

I have to give props to Jason Eisener for crafting this film, and managing to stay true to the original idea. The script is such a great one, and as I have already said the strongest part really is that dialogue. While it is quite visual with scenes, it definitely gets points across with its words. A modern exploitation film is not easy to do, there have been many, many failures. I think the problem is they really tend to try too hard to be something they are not, Hobo does not fall into this trap and really paves the way for more films of this type. It isn’t a great film, but it certainly is a step or two in the right direction and I had a lot of fun. This one is for genre fans, and you can’t pass up an awesome Hauer performance.

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