Review of Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) by Joshua B — 30 Dec 2011

You have to give props to a movie that spells it all out for you without pretension or apology. "Rutger Hauer is a Hobo with a Shotgun," the poster says. What you see is what you get.

And that's a good thing. This is a B-movie grindhouse gorefest through and through, and pays homage to the genre without slipping into pure parody. It's a movie that will "go there" every time you think it won't. There is a dirty 80s visual style to it and an (almost embarrassingly) Canadian feel to the production: look for cameos by Robb Wells (Ricky from Trailer Park Boys) and George Stroumboulopoulos. Cult movie icon, Rutger Hauer, loses himself in the title role, creating what is ultimately the film's strength, an oddly sympathetic vigilante killing machine. If you find yourself feeling actual emotions other than disgust at points during the film, you will understand how Hauer makes this movie, and why it works as well as it does.