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Nostalgia is a curious thing, especially when it comes to film. Multi-media empires have been built on filmmakers revamping the entertainment of their youth for new audiences, but it’s extremely difficult for modern productions to capture the spirit of older movies without turning into exaggerated parodies. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, and every now and then we’re treated to a film that truly understands the material it’s based on and provides us with genuine old-fashioned thrills. Ten years ago, Jason Eisener gave us one of these rare movies with Hobo with a Shotgun, and I’d like to talk about how it’s the best Faux-Grindhouse flick out there.
While this retro gem came out in 2011, the story behind the film begins a few years earlier, back when Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino teamed up to make Grindhouse. Intending for their double-feature to act as a love-letter to sleazy exploitation flicks, the directors also encouraged other filmmakers to contribute to the project with fake movie trailers. Prominent creators like Edgar Wright, Eli Roth and even Rob Zombie ended up chipping in with absurdly entertaining teasers, but it was only Rodriguez’s Machete and Eisener’s Hobo with a Shotgun that made the leap from fake trailer to real movie.
Eisner’s trailer was actually the winner of a contest hosted by Rodriguez and South by Southwest as a part of Grindhouse‘s marketing campaign, but it soon became clear that this low-budget homage to the gritty thrillers of the 70s could easily stand on its own as a real exploitation film. The trailer’s proposed story of a homeless vigilante cleaning up the streets of a town overrun by crime and corruption would have been right at home in the era of Pam Grier and Russell Albion Meyer, so the filmmakers decided to adapt the idea into a feature-length production.
“At least he’s only killing the dirty cops.” – “We’re all dirty cops!”
Concerned about the pressures of leading a feature film, the star of the original trailer (David Brunt) resigned himself to a simple cameo, leading the filmmakers to bring in the legendary Rutger Hauer to take over the titular role. Other than that, the film is a pretty faithful adaptation of the source material, retaining most of the absurdly violent scenarios and one-liners as it tells the story of a down-on-his-luck drifter who just wants to do the right thing.
From homeless fight clubs to a child-molesting Santa-Claus, the film borrows a page from Toxic Avenger‘s Tromaville in its depiction of Hope Town as a comically exaggerated dystopia where half the population appears to have been replaced by sociopaths. In fact, Hauer’s Hobo is actively punished by the police for attempting to save a prostitute from death at the hands of a local gangster, and the antagonists have no qualms about burning schoolchildren alive in order to prove a point. However, unlike most Troma movies, Hobo with a Shotgun is so well-directed and well-performed that a lot of the over-the-top cruelty comes across as genuinely horrific rather than funny, which is both a blessing and a curse.
Of course, Rutger Hauer is what really makes the film tick, providing genuine heart in what was meant to be a simple satire of the exploitation movement. Not only does he fully commit to the gruesome action sequences, but he also delivers one of the most memorable performances of his career as a surly vagrant with a heart of gold, slowly driven mad by the evil that surrounds him. The Hobo’s final monologue before the flick’s climactic showdown remains one of the late actor’s finest moments, masterfully blending the script’s dark humor with completely serious line delivery that would have been nominated for awards had it taken place in another kind of movie.
Nick Bateman, Gregory Smith and Brian Downey also make for entertaining Troma-like villains as the sadistic criminal family that runs the town, though horror hounds will most likely fall in love with the demonic hitmen Rip and Grinder, collectively known as The Plague. This duo of armor-clad killers is implied to have killed both Jesus Christ and Abraham Lincoln on previous missions, and I’m still bummed that they never spawned official action figures.
“I’m gonna sleep in your bloody carcasses tonight!”
The film also boasts plenty of gore, with gnarly action sequences that only exploitation-styled cinema can provide. While everything is intentionally low-fi, the blood and guts hit extremely hard, with a lot of effort put into making the picture look like something that could have really been made in the 70s. In fact, the entire movie is a lot better than it needs to be, making a point of relying on retro practical effects and grimy photography while also sneaking in a few poignant takes about real-world homelessness issues. It would have been really easy for Hobo with a Shotgun to end up as another cynical farce, making fun of the ideas that inspired it instead of actually doing something with them, but the filmmakers chose to take every aspect of the production seriously regardless of their budget, much like the real Grindhouse classics of the past.
While I adore Rodriguez and Tarantino’s homage to the golden days of exploitation, I feel like both Planet Terror and Death Proof are more concerned with emulating the schlocky aesthetics of classic exploitation flicks rather than the rebellious spirit that informed their productions. That’s what makes Hobo with a Shotgun such a special little movie, as the filmmakers behind it understood that exploitation is more than just a visual style. Hell, if it had been shot on real film stock and if Hauer looked a few decades younger, it would be hard to tell that this isn’t a legitimate 70s movie.
It’s dark and mean and could have used a bigger budget, but that’s precisely why I think Hobo with a Shotgun is Faux-Grindhouse at its finest. The macabre sense of humor and over-the-top violence might not be for everyone, but there’s so much effort going on behind the blood and guts that the film remains unmatched even a decade later. So if you’re up for some ultra-violent justice delivered one shotgun shell at a time, I’d definitely recommend this masterful throwback.
