Review of Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) by Skyler B — 22 Jan 2013

Those of us who grew up loving the films and remembering them fondly can thank Quentin Tarantino for bringing the grindhouse style of filmmaking back to the forefront with his spectacular film of the same name, complete with fake trailers. "Hobo With a Shotgun" is a full-length feature adapted from one of those trailers, the second of them to come along, and the look and feel is right, but it isn't much fun.

The picture is definitely campy enough, with enough garish colors and over-the-top violence for two movies, but it feels more like a bad exploitation film from the 1970's rather than a clever parody of one. Rutger Hauer, however, is clearly having the time of his life in the title role, relishing the chance to headline one more movie and opening himself up to a whole new audience. But I feel like the film lets him, and the audience, down.

The violence is excessive and outrageous, but too exaggerated to really be offensive, and the central bad guy is disappointing. Brian Downey may be a good actor, and I'm sure he's a nice guy as well, but he doesn't have what it takes to play this part. From his look to his demeanor, he's all wrong for it. Director Jason Eisener made a name for himself with this, and it was popular with a lot of people, but his style as a filmmaker is all over the map and he has yet to prove himself in my book. His next feature will seal his fate.

With "Hobo With a Shotgun", you certainly get what you're expecting. I only expected it to be a lot more enjoyable than this stagnant, misguided misfire.