Hobo with a shotgun Review


Movie: Hobo with a shotgun
By: Maniac E
Date: April 15, 2011

There was once a hobo with a shotgun

What begins as a fake trailer before the grind house movies "Deathproof" and "Planet Terror" ends up being a whole movie on its own. Just like Machete, Hobo with a shotgun is a project that was really never intended to end up as a real movie. But people loved the trailers of both movies and people were ready to pay to see these movies made into a full length feature film. And this of course is a treat for us grind house fans. But is it really good enough for a full length feature film? And was Rutger Hauer bright enough to end up in this film?

Story

The story….. Well let’s face it there isn’t much to go on here. It’s pretty basic a homeless guy ends up in a town where everything is falling apart. Crime waves, murder and prostitution is all over the place. The homeless guy just wants to live his life and be on his way. He basically gets caught up in all the madness of the town. Ending in chaos and a bloodbath massacre, the town is being controlled by Drake and his boys. Strangely enough the town is called “Hopetown” but all hope seems to be lost in this town. Drake is controlling the town with fear and doing this in a game show like way, which has its charms. The hobo feels and sees that there is no justice and takes it to himself to purify the town of all that is bad. WITH A SHOTGUN!

Hobo with a shotgun 1

Look and feel

I just have to applaud the people creating this movie, they nailed the grindhouse feeling completely. The soundtrack is really getting you in the mood and visually the way of filming just made it complete. It’s over the top and it is proud to show you that. Keep in mind this is never meant to be a big budget movie and it’s really not. But whole look and feel of the movie just fits it. Grainy images with poor lighting in it make it just right. The movie is extremely violent and lots of black humor is being poured into it. The grittiness, the violence, and some of the dialogue all fit in this movie very well. It just shows that the film makers really had heart for the grindhouse scene.

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What about the rest?

You might think ok, they nailed the look and feel. What about the acting? The acting is pretty solid although Hauer completely carries the movie. His interpretation of a hobo is spot-on; he not only looks like one but talks and thinks like one as well. Smith who plays “Slick” is a spoiled brat and plays it very well. Everyone is doing his or her thing and making sure they deliver what they need to deliver. With all the violence there is a lot of gore ready for your viewing pleasures. I won’t spoil everything but I can guarantee you that this movie is packing lots of blood and over the top madness. The hobo killing streak is awesome, shotgun power to the rescue! If it only was that simple in real life to solve everything with a shotgun. The hobo is blowing off heads and other parts so be prepared!

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Conclusion

In my opinion this movie tops “Machete” in all ways. The whole movie just fits better in the grindhouse series. I would even say it tops “Deathproof” reason for saying this is that the characters are just acting much more low budget and the settings are really good. Of course this movie has its flaws like the hobo talking too much and sometimes takes away the pace of the movie. But this movie is entertaining from the beginning on; it’s fast paced and has lots of action and violence in it. Don’t go in and expecting that this movie will win any awards in any way. Just make sure if you like grindhouse movies go watch this because its king of the “new” grindhouse series!


4/5




BLURAY REVIEW

Image quality

Where to start? The image quality is one of the best replications of the old school grindhouse movies. You can see the film makers really wanted to make it look old. It looks grainy and discolored sepia feel just make the atmosphere. The blu-ray disc really makes good use of this and really gives us the best of both worlds (HD transfer and an old school look). 1080/24p 2:10:1.


Sound

Dynamic DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack on this bluray version. Giving us all the good 80s tunes in great quality. Just excellent.


Extras

Here is where the disc falls short. No extra’s for this E1 publication. US fans however can look forward to deleted scenes, commentary tracks and more.


Overall

Hobo with a shotgun is a real treat on blu-ray and it makes sure you won’t forget this movie. If you really want to enjoy the complete package try to import the movie from Amazon. The special features are really great. As for this Dutch version a missed change to make a real good movie even greater.


E1 Entertainment

Movie

Hobo with a shotgun

Title

Hobo with a shotgun

Director

Jason Eisener

Country

Canada

Year

2011

Cast

Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Robb Wells, Molly Dunsworth, Nick Bateman