Hobo with a Shotgun

Expanded from a fake trailer sandwiched in between the Tarantino and Rodriguez Grindhouse films, Jason Eisener's homage to 1970s B-movies is not at all prone to subtleties. However, the film delivers everything its title promises, and then some. The story of an unnamed homeless man (a wonderfully grizzled Rutger Hauer) who drifts into a lawless town run by a maniacal crime lord known as Drake (Brian Downey), and his frat-boy sons (Gregory Smith and Nick Bateman), Hobo chronicles the Travis Bickle-esque protagonist's breakdown after witnessing the cruelty and depravity of a city overrun by evil and violence. Teaming up with Abby (Molly Dunsworth), a hooker with a heart of gold, the Hobo takes matters into his own hands in waging an all-out war on Drake and his goons. Taking a page from Takashi Miike's book, the violence gets creative (a repurposed lawnmower and death by manhole cover are highlights), and Eisener doesn't resort to clichés beyond the ones he's lovingly lampooning. There is, of course, a dire need for a willing suspension of disbelief, but there are also moments that are disarmingly clever. Before the shotgun mayhem, Hauer delivers some truly well-written lines that touch on the sadness and desperation that result from being homeless. Hobo is not a groundbreaking movie by any means, but it is a well-executed and enjoyable genre piece.