Hey folks, Valkor. So let me ask this question: Have you ever
gotten excited over a movie trailer? I mean really excited to
the point of "if this film isn't out by yesterday I'm gonna bust"?
And when the film is finally released, it was such a letdown?
(I'm looking at you Superman Returns). I kinda felt that way about
the latest film to come into the Val-Cave – Hobo with a Shotgun
starring Rutger Hauer. The trailer was so bad ass! And, thankfully,
the actual film.... didn't let me down at all!
Hobo with a Shotgun is just as the title suggests – it's the story about a hobo turned vigilante (Rutger Hauer), who's fed up with all the going ons in Hopetown, which has gone to hell in a handbasket. I mean the place is infested with homeless, prostitutes, a pedophile Santa, and it's all run by a major sleaze who's simply called "Drake" (Brian Downey). And by his side are his two sons Ivan (Nick Bateman) and Slick (Gregory Smith), who for some reason look exactly like Risky Business Tom Cruise.
So our favorite hobo befriends a prostitute named Abby (Molly Dunsworth), who he meets just as she's about to get abducted by Ivan and his goon patrol, saving her from what would have been hell on her b-hole. Soon after, he goes to the police demanding they clean up the streets. Unbeknownst to the hobo, the police are in cahoots with Drake.
And when Ivan and Slick show up, oh they serve him up some revenge he won't soon forget. Thankfully Abby takes him in, nurtures his wounds, and they soon form a bond. Is it father/daughter… or something more?
But hobo's patience reaches his peak; just when he's finally raised enough money to buy that which he most longs for – a lawnmower. Oh did I forget to tell you that? It must have slipped my gourd, with all the bloodletting. But yes, hobo wants a lawnmower so he can start a business. But when the pawnshop he's in gets held up, hobo makes a decision that's gonna have everlasting effects on the town – the dude buys a shotgun and starts dispensing some serious justice. Make no mistake, this is one pissed off hobo and he means to put an end to this society's infestation problem one person at a time.
When Drake gets word, he puts out a bounty on the hobo's head – either he dies, or all your children die. And he makes good on his word by having Ivan and Slick burn up a bus full of schoolchildren. Now that was "coooold blooded"!!
But our hobo will continue to dispense his form of shotgun justice up until the final face off between him and Drake. Exactly how will it end? You're gonna have to check this one out for yourselves. Oh and I won't even begin to ask where he got all the bullets. I'm just glad he had em handy! And with that on with the TOV Breakdown!
The Good:
Believe the hype, Hobo with a Shotgun is probably one of the fiercest films I have seen in a long time. And I'm talkin FIERCE!!! The trailer kicks it off right; sure there are a lot of spoilers in it, but trust me when I say that more gore awaits. And the film doesn't hold back anything; take for instance when Ivan and Slick fry up the school bus. You think "there's no way they'll torch that bus full of kids"! But they do it! And I gasped! And I won't mention the other stuff; trust me, this film is hardcore! The blood flows through this film like water through the mighty Mississippi… ok maybe not to that extreme, but there is a lot of it. And it's cool as hell! Think of all the head popping in Rubber and amplify that ten times. (And if you haven't seen Rubber, then you needs to check it out!). The film itself is a total 80's throwback; though visually it looks more modern, the opening and ending credits have that cheesy 80's look to it. Finally acting props go out to Rutger Hauer who looks so pitiful, yet tough and gritty; really it's some of his best work I've seen to date. Brian Downey is way over the top in this one, but you know what? It works! He's gives the film that extra bit of zest. Kudos also must be given to Nick Batman and Gregory Smith for not only lookin all 80's cool, while tossing in that Patrick Bateman "American Psycho" attitude, and you have the recipe for maliciousness. Finally Molly Dunsworth needs to take a bow, because her character is put through the ringer and then some. Seriously, watching what she has to go through will break your heart and piss you off.
The Bad:
There are some slow parts, but nothing that will drive you crazy.
The Ugly:
Too many gory bits to mention here. I guess ya gotta watch the film, huh?
Hobo with a Shotgun is the most edgy and over the top fun I've had with a film since… well Rubber. But I'll even go so far as to say this film one-ups Rubber, because of its edginess, taking violent levels to the extreme. When it hits the theaters come May 6th, head on out and prepare yourself for one wild ride. Believe me, you won't be disappointed. And out of TOV 5 stars, I give Hobo with a Shotgun 5 stars. And it's been Valkor Viewed, TOV Approved!