Hobo with a Shotgun
| Hobo with a Shotgun | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Jason Eisener |
| Produced by | Rob Cotterill Niv Fichman Paul Gross Frank Siracusa |
| Written by | John Davies |
| Starring | Rutger Hauer Molly Dunsworth Brian Downey Gregory Smith |
| Music by | Alexander Rosborough |
| Cinematography | Karim Hussain |
| Editing by | Jason Eisener |
| Studio | Rhombus Media Whizbang Films Inc. Yer Dead Productions |
| Distributed by | Alliance Films Magnet Releasing |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 86 min. |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3 million[1] |
| Box office | $703,372 (U.S. Only)[2] |
Hobo with a Shotgun is a 2011 Canadian exploitation action film directed by Jason Eisener and written by John Davies, starring Rutger Hauer.[3] It is based on the winning trailer of the same name from Robert Rodriguez's South by Southwest Grindhouse trailers contest.[4]
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Plot [edit]
A hobo (Rutger Hauer) arrives in Hope Town, which is ruled by the crime lord Drake (Brian Downey) and his sons Ivan (Nick Bateman) and Slick (Gregory Smith). Shortly after he arrives he and some townspeople are forced to witness Drake and his sons murder Drake's brother (Robb Wells).
Later, the hobo is begging for money to buy a lawnmower from a pawn shop, and while begging witnesses Ivan and Slick enter a building. He follows them and rescues a prostitute named Abby (Molly Dunsworth) while knocking Slick unconscious. He turns Slick into the police, but the corrupt policemen and Drake's sons torture and leave the hobo for dead, but he is saved by Abby. The hobo thwarts a robbery at the pawn shop using a shotgun, which he buys instead of the lawnmower. The hobo begins to murder Hope Town's criminals and becomes a media hero. In an act of retaliation Slick and Ivan torch a school bus filled with children. Ivan and Slick then take over a TV Station and demand the hobo's head.
As Abby and the hobo prepare to leave town, Slick and Ivan go to Abby's apartment intending to kill them both. Slick proceeds to saw open Abby's throat, but is saved by the hobo, and gets away from them while killing Slick for hurting Abby, who is taken away to Hell on the same bus that they had torched earlier. Drake calls Rip and Grinder, a duo of armor-clad demons known as The Plague. Rip and Grinder kidnap the hobo while he is trying to save Abby from the hospital and Drake decides to publicly execute him for all he has done. Abby shows up with the hobo's shotgun (with an axe tied to it) and a lawnmower engine as weapons and takes Ivan hostage. Drake kills him for being a disappointment and Abby kills Grinder. Drake cuts Abby's hand off with the lawnmower, and she stabs him with the stump. Rip says Abby must become the second member of The Plague, and the hobo says no and the demon leaves.
The hobo then kills Drake by blowing his head off with a single gunshot and is killed by the recently arrived police force. The townsfolk, rallied by Abby, attack the cops and as both parties are slaughtered (with the cops losing), Abby screams. The final scene then shows the corpses of Drake and The hobo, with The hobo's hand gripped loosely around the shotgun.
Cast [edit]
- Rutger Hauer as the Hobo: a homeless man who becomes a vigilante after seeing the high crime rate and corrupt, ineffective police.
- Molly Dunsworth as Abby: a prostitute who befriends the Hobo, she is at first horrified by his actions but after seeing his brave, good natured will decides to help him.
- Brian Downey as Drake: the psychopathic crime lord of Hope Town, he uses fear and intimidation in order to stay in control of the townspeople.
- Gregory Smith as Slick: Drake's favorite son and Ivan's brother. Slick is a remorseless, sadistic killer and his father prefers him over Ivan due to his extra potential and icier brand of psychopathic torture and murder.
- Nick Bateman as Ivan: Drake's son and Slick's equally sadistic brother, although he was more violent and aggressive than Slick, his father makes it clear Ivan has less potential to eventually fill The Drake's evil shoes.
- Nick Bateman and Peter Simas as Rip and Grinder respectively: two mysterious demonic armored contract killers, they have both Historical and Biblical figures, such as Abraham Lincoln and Jesus Christ, on their hit list
- Robb Wells as Logan, The Drake's doomed brother; whether he is an innocent citizen or a criminal who is only good by comparison to the pure evil of his brother and nephews is not clear.
- Jeremy Akerman as Chief of Police, who initially seems like a nice old guy, but turns out to be both corrupt and a maniac.
- Drew O'Hara as Otis
- Pasha Ebrahimi as "Bum Fight" filmmaker
- George Stroumboulopoulos as News Anchor
Development [edit]
Hobo with a Shotgun, directed by Jason Eisener, was initially a fake trailer made for an international contest to promote the release of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's double feature Grindhouse.[5] It won the contest, and was screened in some areas of Canada as part of the actual release of Grindhouse.[6] A feature-length version of Hobo With a Shotgun began principal photography in Halifax on April 19, 2010.[7]
A teaser trailer (including behind-the-scenes and test footage) was released on April 26, 2010.[8]
David Brunt, who played the title character in the trailer, cameos in the film as a dirty cop.[9]
It was the second of Grindhouse's fake trailers to be turned into a feature film, the first being Rodriguez's Machete.[10]
Release [edit]
Hobo with a Shotgun staged its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.[11] The film was released on a limited basis to Canadian theatres on March 25, 2011[12] and in the United States on May 6, 2011.[13] The film was also released via OnDemand services such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and iTunes on April 1, 2011.[14]
Home media [edit]
The film received its Australian premiere on the opening night of the Sydney Film Festival on June 8, 2011. It was later released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United States on July 5, 2011 and in the UK on July 15, 2011.
Reception [edit]
Reviews of the film are generally positive, and it currently holds a 66% "certified fresh" approval rating out of 107 reviews on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, with the general consensus being: "It certainly isn't subtle – or even terribly smart – but as a gleefully gory homage to low-budget exploitation thrillers, Hobo with a Shotgun packs plenty of firepower."[15]
Tony Vilgotsky of Russian horror zine Darker described this movie like a rebirth of an exploitation film tradition[16]
Since its release on Netflix, the film has gained a cult film status, as its release was not very widespread. A comic book based on the characters in the film was published by Strange Adventures Comic Shop in Halifax in the summer of 2012.
References [edit]
- ^ "Hobo With a Shotgun: Montréal devient gore". Lebuzz.info. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- ^ Hobo with a Shotgun at Box Office Mojo
- ^ "Two New Clips From Hobo With A Shotgun".
- ^ "'Hobo With a Shotgun' Producer Takes a Behind-the-Scenes Beating".
- ^ "Rutger Hauer is the Hobo With a Shotgun".
- ^ "More Hobo With a Shotgun Madness".
- ^ Heritage, Stuart (April 20, 2010). "Hobo With a Shotgun's net strategy is an own goal". The Guardian (London).
- ^ "Beware: Rutger Hauer is Now a ‘Hobo with a Shotgun’ – Film School Rejects".
- ^ "HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN feature starts shooting Monday... and Quint knows who the movie Hobo will be!!!".
- ^ Jason Thibault. "MACHETE Gets a Release Date and HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN Starts Filming".
- ^ "Sundance 2011: The Legend of Beaver Dam to Lead to a Hobo with a Shotgun".
- ^ "Hobo With a Shotgun". tribute.ca. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ "Hobo With a Shotgun – More Blood, More Heart Teaser". YouTube. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- ^ "Interview: Rutger Hauer Talks Hobo with a Shotgun". Shockya.com. March 31, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- ^ "Hobo With a Shotgun". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
- ^ "Beyond the Goredome". Darker magazine. Retrieved July 2011.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Official website (UK)
- Hobo with a Shotgun at the Internet Movie Database
- Hobo with a Shotgun at Box Office Mojo
- Hobo with a Shotgun at Rotten Tomatoes
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