“Hobo Stops Begging, Demands Change!”
The H-Bomb: Do I really even have to say anything, here? The title says it all, people. It’s about a Hobo who goes on a blood thirsty, berserker rampage with… a shotgun. The end.
Okay, there actually is a little more to it than that- and by that I mean a LITTLE more. It’s about a bum named… Hobo (Rutger Hauer), who arrives in Hope City, a literal Hell-on-Earth that is over ridden with crime and ruled by the vicious gangster, Drake (Brian Downey) and his two psycho sons, Slick (Gregory Smith), and Ivan (Nick Bateman). All the poor Hobo wants to do is start his own lawn mowing business, but fate has other ideas. After being cut up by Drake‘s sons, and witnessing all the chaos and violence around him, the Hobo is finally pushed over the edge. He’s fed up, pissed off, mad as a bull, and decides to clean up the streets himself… with a shotgun.
From there our vigilante vagrant goes around dispensing his brand of buckshot justice to any and all evildoers; robbers, pimps, pedophile Santy Clauses. Even “Bumfight” video makers aren’t above his wrath. You do the crime, you will be sucking on the business end of this Hobo’s shotgun in no time. Before too long, the gun toting bum sets his sights on Drake, and the corrupt Police Captain who protects him, but not before Drake dispatches a couple of demon knights in black armor to take out the Hobo first. Will our hero with the bad B.O. prevail…?
Going back to my opening H-Bomb, “Hobo with a Shotgun”, for better or worse, is exactly the kind of movie you would expect it to be. It’s a shamelessly over-the-top, blood-caked, completely un-P.C., and hysterically fun exploitation homage that we’ve been seeing a lot of, lately. Point of fact, this was actually one of the fake trailers shown on the Canadian release of Tarantino/Rodriguez experiment “Grindhouse”, and it gained so much popularity via YouTube hits that it was expanded into the feature film it is today.
If you’re a lover of this kind of 70’s styled, ballsy, B-movie trash flick, then you will get more than what you bargained for out of this. This thing doesn’t just spill blood by the buckets, it literally sprays it out in geysers, with some death scenes that are gory, grisly, grotesque, and awesomely inventive. Wanna see what a baseball bat covered with razorblades can do to a stomach, watch this movie. Wanna see a foot explode when a mallet hits it, watch this movie. Wanna see one of the most creative decapitations ever… watch this fuckin’ movie! Yeah, the effects are kind of shoddy looking in places, but who gives an ass‘s rat? It’s all part of the fucked up charm.
Fans of grindhouse cinema will also find little nods to past movies throughout, such as a John Carpenter-esque music score in places, and, what many should love, another music score at the beginning that’s inappropriately harmonious and deliberately similar to the theme of “Cannibal Holocaust”- I laugh whenever I think of the CH theme, because it is so fucking inappropriate for that movie.
The main reason to see “Hobo with a Shotgun” is to watch Rutger Hauer’s deliriously deranged take on the title character. With his weird accent and crazy-eyed stare, he is absolutely batshit fucking bonkers, but incredibly sympathetic at the same time. He is a maniac with a heart of gold, a nut job with a conscience, and I just loved him. And it’s not that he’s just totally off the wall, the movie actually gives him a chance to shine and show off some real chops, like the monologue he delivers to a bunch of newborn infants in a hospital… priceless.
Now, this flick definitely is not for everyone. Even though it’s obvious to me how a movie like this should be taken, there are some dense-headed dingbats out there in idiotville who just don’t get it. “The effects suck! The acting sucks! The story doesn’t make sense! This is offensive!” *Sigh* I can’t argue with people like that. If they don’t get it, they don’t get it, and frankly, prudes like them can’t be reached. Some will be offended by the violence, like the scene where a busload of school children are torched alive. Just remember, it’s not meant to be taken seriously and react accordingly, if you can.
My point being, if you hated movies like “Grindhouse” and “Drive Angry”, then why would you even consider watching one called “Hobo with a Shotgun”? The title should be a big tip off that it ain’t gonna be Merchant-Ivory material, and that you’ll hands down fucking despise it. So the only smart move on your part would be to avoid this one entirely.
For those of you who can jive with this latter day drive-in pic’s wacky and wild vibe, then this is one you must definitely not pass up. It’s not high art, nor does it pretend to be. It’s purely mindless fun for the macabre at heart. Junk food for the soul. Shit, that’s why I liked it, at least. It makes for a perfect double-bill with “Drive Angry”, and is an absolute must own for the gorehound set.
