Hobo with a Shotgun was one of the fake movie trailers for Grindhouse, and was the winner of a contest to get a lesser known/independent group’s trailer into the Grindhouse wider release. This wasn’t shown at all of the theatres when it came out, therefore I didn’t get to see it in the theatres.
Well they decided to turn it into a full blown movie (like Machete) and here we have Hobo… with a Shotgun. First off, this movie is NOT to be taken seriously, it is sort of a spoof of older action exploitation movies, but actually is one itself.
The Hobo (who is never named and played by Rutger Hauer, who played the original Hitcher and the Cardinal in Sin City) travels into Hope Town via the railroad. As he travels into town he encounters the crime lord of the city, The Drake (Brian Downey). The Drake chased his brother through the street with a manhole cover that has been altered to fit around a person’s neck. Well, The Drake was mad at his brother for some reason or another, throws him into a manhole, where the cover leaves only his head exposed, and then pops his brother’s head off with a car and barbed wired, resulting in an unrealistic fountain of blood.
This is the set up to the whole movie, and things get crazier from there. The Hobo gets fed up with the crime in the town and saves a prostitute named Abby (Molly Dunsworth), from being killed by the Drake’s favorite son. After being beaten up and having ‘SCUM’ carved into his chest at the police station, the Hobo realizes even the police have thrown in with the Drake.
The Hobo hopes to buy a lawnmower to start his own business, but when he gathers the money, he encounters a robbery in the pawn shop. His gaze goes from the lawnmower to the shotgun next to him. He blows the robbers away and then proceeds to take out the city’s crime, one shell at a time (or like five in some cases).
I won’t ruin the ending or the rest of the movie, but I’ll say this, I’ve seen a lot of gory movies, but some of the stuff in this movie made me cringe (see lawnmower shield and razor blade baseball bat). The violence is over the top. Some of the dialogue is unforgettable. The villains are the most evil antagonists you could hope for and maybe even far beyond the normal stereotypes that you have in your head. They’re that evil.
Even with all of the ridiculousness in the movie, they find a place for a little emotion, and you come to care for the Hobo, which I didn’t expect (see the nursery scene). In the end, Hobo with a Shotgun is a ridiculous romp through a gore laden, crime filled city, with over the top characters, even more over the top violence, and a semi satisfying conclusion. This is not for the squeamish and I loved every minute of it.
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