By Alec Lautanen
Staff Writer
When seeing a movie titled “Hobo with a Shotgun,” the audience holds certain expectations. The film is expected to be an amateur piece of cinema with plenty of blood-curdling violence and gore.
“Hobo With a Shotgun” fulfills just that, presenting itself as an enthralling homage to previous slasher exploitation films while delivering scene after scene of campy ultra violence and many freakish characters.
If viewers expect a legitimate and thoughtful film, they’ll be sorely disappointed. But as far as the genre of action and horror exploitation goes, “Hobo with a Shotgun” does not fall short.
Through many scenes of over-the-top cruelty and violence, the film is enjoyable to watch and at times funny. Characters are as eccentric as they are unbelievable, but this only supports the exaggerated concept of the film.
“Hobo with a Shotgun” started off as a fake movie trailer shown before Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse” just as similar film “Machete” did. It won much praise, and went into production in spring 2010. It starts off with the titular character, always referred to as “Hobo” and played by a grizzled Rutger Hauer, riding (by train, no less) into a lawless town that has descended into chaos.
By night, groups of violent and sadistic teens roam the streets (think “A Clockwork Orange”), terrorizing any and all people they run into, with special antagonism toward the homeless. Their leader, “The Drake” (Brian Downey), instills fear in the entire town with his two sons, Ivan (Nick Bateman), and Slick (Gregory Smith).
Of course, Hobo is not pleased with any of this and goes on a vigilante-like spree of murder and intimidation, using only a shotgun. One of his first acts is saving a prostitute named Abby (Molly Dunsworth) from Slick’s abuse. His heroic actions quickly draw the attention of The Drake and Ivan, who set off to exterminate Hobo at all costs.
“Hobo with a Shotgun’s” greatest strength is its ability to both encapsulate elements of ‘80s slasher films and combine them with new action and horror exploitation films like “The Devil’s Rejects.”
Cinematography and production design also play a significant role in this film. The result is dystopia and a Mad Max-esque setting that retains the look of a kitschy colored city.
The film also succeeds in producing an extremely likeable protagonist. When Hobo first arrives, his only goal is to buy a lawnmower in a pawn shop to start a yard care business. However, after witnessing the absolute anarchy into which the city has descended, he chooses the shotgun instead.
During his work, he also delivers a string of amusing and straight-faced one-liners, such as “We’re going on a car ride to hell. And you’re riding shotgun.” It’s impossible not to root for Hobo.
His evil counterparts, The Drake and his sons, complement Hobo’s demeanor well with overly enthusiastic and unbelievably disturbed characters. Constantly sporting matching leather jackets and Wayfarers, Slick and Ivan approach every act of cruelty with maniacal laughter and overt gratification, contrasting with Hobo’s sincerity and providing some amusing confrontations.
Out of all of the merits of “Hobo with a Shotgun,” the most amusing is the creativity put into some of the brutal killings. Writer John Davies’ imagination is extreme at some points and downright repulsive at others. Deaths range from severing someone’s spinal cord with an ice skate to setting a full school bus on fire with a flamethrower.
“Hobo with a Shotgun” will no doubt please people who are fans of the slasher genre. Audiences who see the film for any reason except for the rugged and intimidating Hobo or gruesome murders will not be amused. The film is less than 90 minutes and has barely made $12,000 since its release; however, it has all the makings of a cult classic.
“Hobo with a Shotgun” is unrated and is available from Verizon FiOS pay-per-view prior to its relatively wide-release Los Angeles debut today.
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