"When life gives you razor blades, you make a baseball bat...out of razor blades!," shouts Hobo with a Shotgun's main villain, Drake, before he cuts a man in two. If that wasn't any clue as to what you can expect from Hobo with a Shotgun, then heed this: it very well be one of the most violent movies ever made. Jason Eisener's gloriously bloody neo-grindhouse movie is disturbing in every sense of the word. And what's wrong with that? Absolutely nothing, apparently.
Hobo with a Shotgun is the most bizarre thrill ride of the last ten years. It's a new, classless rendition of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's neo-B-movie masterpiece Grindhouse. It definitely shows; it's often way too violent for its own good, so much to the point where it's plainly upsetting sometimes. It's not very funny, but despite all this, the movie is beautiful, if one can call it that, in its array of color. Rutger Hauer gives an amazing performance (surprisingly) and Eisener shows promise for his future as a director.
To say Hobo with a Shotgun has a plot might be a lie depending on who you ask, but it's worth reading a brief summary. Basically, the viewer is presented with a Hobo (Rutger Hauer), who gets off in Hope Town, a slum in an unnamed country. Hobo witnesses acts of violence done by Drake, a mob figure, and his two sons who act as his henchmen. He's then prompted to violence himself to correct the wrongs Drake and his two sons have inflicted upon the town. The battle escalates to a full-fledged war between the homeless of Hope Town and everyone else. What ensues is ridiculous, gory, and ridiculously gory.
Clearly, this isn't a movie for people who can't handle gore. The first ten minutes are fairly inoffensive, but the next 75 are relentless. Hobo with a Shotgun never holds back either. From penises shot at close ranges to decapitations, Hobo with a Shotgun is chock full of blood. Even more disturbing is that nobody is safe in this movie. There is in fact a scene in which a bus full of children is set on fire by the bad guys. Killing children on-screen is a generally accepted no-no in horror movies, but Hobo with a Shotgun is edgy enough to go there.
The filmmaking itself is very well-done. Jacob Eisener makes countless allusions to previous B-movies and horror masterpieces alike. And despite all the violence that could distract any viewer, the film is really a respectable piece of cinema. Rutger Hauer delivers an interesting, purposefully idiotic performance as the unnamed Hobo. Furthermore, the cinematography of Hobo with a Shotgun is drenched in a rainbow colors. Yes, it's drenched in color. Reds, greens, and blues can sometimes almost overshadow the subjects of many shots, and blood certainly tints shots a wonderful shade of raging red-orange. It's all reminiscent of Dario Argento's Suspiria, an Italian horror film that showcased its elaborate death sequences with great cinematography.
A few years down the line, nobody is going to remember Hobo with a Shotgun. Hobo is a great character. He breaks the rules. He gets the women. But he's just another guy. And that seems to be the movie's biggest problem. Hobo with a Shotgun is a knockoff version of Machete or Grindhouse. Albeit it's a pretty good one, but it's simply too disturbing to remember its story. What should be funny is often just sick. Nevertheless, Hobo with a Shotgun is a graphic, "fun" B-movie trailer adaptation.
Hobo with a Shotgun is the most bizarre thrill ride of the last ten years. It's a new, classless rendition of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's neo-B-movie masterpiece Grindhouse. It definitely shows; it's often way too violent for its own good, so much to the point where it's plainly upsetting sometimes. It's not very funny, but despite all this, the movie is beautiful, if one can call it that, in its array of color. Rutger Hauer gives an amazing performance (surprisingly) and Eisener shows promise for his future as a director.
To say Hobo with a Shotgun has a plot might be a lie depending on who you ask, but it's worth reading a brief summary. Basically, the viewer is presented with a Hobo (Rutger Hauer), who gets off in Hope Town, a slum in an unnamed country. Hobo witnesses acts of violence done by Drake, a mob figure, and his two sons who act as his henchmen. He's then prompted to violence himself to correct the wrongs Drake and his two sons have inflicted upon the town. The battle escalates to a full-fledged war between the homeless of Hope Town and everyone else. What ensues is ridiculous, gory, and ridiculously gory.
Clearly, this isn't a movie for people who can't handle gore. The first ten minutes are fairly inoffensive, but the next 75 are relentless. Hobo with a Shotgun never holds back either. From penises shot at close ranges to decapitations, Hobo with a Shotgun is chock full of blood. Even more disturbing is that nobody is safe in this movie. There is in fact a scene in which a bus full of children is set on fire by the bad guys. Killing children on-screen is a generally accepted no-no in horror movies, but Hobo with a Shotgun is edgy enough to go there.
The filmmaking itself is very well-done. Jacob Eisener makes countless allusions to previous B-movies and horror masterpieces alike. And despite all the violence that could distract any viewer, the film is really a respectable piece of cinema. Rutger Hauer delivers an interesting, purposefully idiotic performance as the unnamed Hobo. Furthermore, the cinematography of Hobo with a Shotgun is drenched in a rainbow colors. Yes, it's drenched in color. Reds, greens, and blues can sometimes almost overshadow the subjects of many shots, and blood certainly tints shots a wonderful shade of raging red-orange. It's all reminiscent of Dario Argento's Suspiria, an Italian horror film that showcased its elaborate death sequences with great cinematography.
A few years down the line, nobody is going to remember Hobo with a Shotgun. Hobo is a great character. He breaks the rules. He gets the women. But he's just another guy. And that seems to be the movie's biggest problem. Hobo with a Shotgun is a knockoff version of Machete or Grindhouse. Albeit it's a pretty good one, but it's simply too disturbing to remember its story. What should be funny is often just sick. Nevertheless, Hobo with a Shotgun is a graphic, "fun" B-movie trailer adaptation.