Product Details

• Actors: Rutger Hauer
• Directors: Jason Eisener
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Magnolia Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: July 5, 2011
• Run Time: 86 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (161 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004XQO8LY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,030 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Hobo With a Shotgun" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A movie that truly lives up (or is that down?) to its title, Hobo with a Shotgun brings on the giggly ick with a zeal that recalls the glory days of legendary exploitation mavens Troma Studios (The Toxic Avenger, Surf Nazis Must Die, Fat Guy Goes Nutzoid, etc.). Beginning with an awesome Ennio Morricone homage, the film follows the nameless title character (Rutger Hauer) as he hops a train to a new town with dreams of buying a lawnmower and settling down, only to run afoul of an evil drug kingpin and his two severely messed-up sons. Disgusted by the level of corruption surrounding him, he stumbles into a sporting goods store and… well, the title tells you the rest, really. Expanding on his notorious short of the same name (the winner of a trailer contest originated by Grindhouse's Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez), writer-director Jason Eisener maintains a delicate balance between black comedy and ridiculously gross money shots, with precious little of the downtime between inspired gags that plagues so many films of its type. Anchored by Hauer's more-committed-than-it-probably-needed-to-be performance, this assuredly guilty pleasure ranks as a real rarity: a tribute to '80s VHS trash that functions beyond mere parody. Keep your thumb poised near the rewind button at all times. --Andrew Wright

Product Description

A train pulls into the station it's the end of the line. A hobo jumps from a freight car hoping for a fresh start in a new city. Instead, he finds himself trapped in an urban hell. This is a world where criminals rule the streets and Drake, the city's crime boss, reigns supreme alongside his sadistic murderous sons, Slick & Ivan. Amidst the chaos, the hobo comes across a pawn shop window displaying a secondhand lawn mower. He dreams of making the city a beautiful place and starting a new life for himself. But as the brutality continues to rage around him, he notices a shotgun hanging above the lawn mower... Quickly, he realizes the only way to make a difference in this town is with that gun in his hand and two shells in its chamber...

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A super nasty piece of grindhouse homage July 9, 2011

By N. Durham HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

Hobo with a Shotgun has kind of achieved an almost mythical status. Originally a fake trailer created when Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino were bringing their Grindhouse film to the masses, here we are with a feature-length treatment for Hobo with a Shotgun, starring genre great Rutger Hauer in the title role. When our Hobo hero arrives in a crime-ridden city, he quickly runs afoul of local crime boss Drake (Brian Downey from Lexx) and his two degenerate sons (Gregory Smith and Nick Bateman). It isn't long before the sight of so much crime and pain and torment drives our Hobo over the edge and he gets his hands on the shotgun sitting in a pawn shop, and proceeds to wreck ultra-bloody havoc in the process. Gleefully over the top and definitely not for the faint of heart, Hobo with a Shotgun represents just about the best aspects of what made the grindhouse and exploitation films of yesteryear so badly enjoyable to watch. At the same time however, Hobo with a Shotgun also displays some of the worst aspects of the genre. More often than not, it feels as if the film is trying way too hard to reach that level, and there are plenty of times where it's just too much. Not to mention the fact that the acting is, well, let's just say it's kind of lacking in certain aspects. I'm not looking for Shakespeare here, but other than Rutger Hauer, a majority of the cast is way too over the top for their own good. Still, Hobo with a Shotgun is bloody, ultraviolent fun that never relents, and is the kind of ballsy genre filmmaking that has become all the more scarce as time has gone by. It definitely isn't for everyone, but for those who love and respect what the grindhouse/exploitation genre can do, Hobo with a Shotgun is a must have.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "I used to be like you..." April 3, 2011

By Royale

Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase

Really liked this movie. Yes it's violent and over the top, but hey, this is grindhouse. The characters are wonderful and almost every one is iconic in their own right. The movie makers created a gritty world with strange and twisted people mostly committing vile acts. Kind of like if Troma had made Robocop. This was less of an homage to grindhouse movies of the 70's and 80's and more like an actual grindhouse movie. The film had bright bleeding colors and harsh contrast that helped to give this film a very uniquely gritty look. There were lots of scenes of murder, mutilation and torture, but there were also scenes in this movie that elevate it to something more than a "B" horror movie. The hobos talk to the newborns, a certain death scene, the Plague, and even the wickedness of the main bad guy. This was definitely a grindhouse flick and more. Looking forward to seeing more from this director and crew.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars well done explotation film May 13, 2011

By Mark bennett

Format:Amazon Instant Video

This is a not a good film in any sense. But it is a good film within its genre. Its pure violent pulp exploitation with no pretensions and in many respects its the purity of the concept which elevates it to something more than it would otherwise be. Its kind of like the old Sergio Leone westerns or something like the original Beastmaster or Road House or the first Boondock Saints.

The film had its start as a phony trailer in an earlier bigger film. The trailer was a funny two-minute joke. But they managed to make it work for real as a film.

A nameless hobo gets off a train in a new town with dreams of buying a lawnmower to start a business. But the streets are out of control and the hobo is forced to clean up the town on his own. The town is run by a violent goof named "Drake" and his two sons...one of whom looks like he stepped out of old Tom Cruise film like Risky Business. The villians are really easy to hate. The hobo is a no-nonsense hero.

The film is slightly different than the old "Death Wish" formula because there is a clear wealth and class subtext to it. Most vigilante films feature middle class or rich victims taking revenge on psychotic criminals. But "Hobo" is about a man at the very bottom taking revenge on a corrupt system run by the wealthy and powerful who exist beyond the reach of any law. Going after the "bumfights" guy, going after the rich goof (Drake) and going after the idiot sons of the rich goof are all powerful concepts.

And like all exploitation films, we get things that just don't make a bit of sense. Two Junior Iron men eventually show up with no particular explaination. But its so goofy, it works.

The only thing that I have against it is that its too violent. Its in the nature of explotation, but I think the material was good enough that they could have done without it. An edited version would probably run on cable forever.

The acting is 10x better than it has any right to be. Rutger Hauer was perfect for the role and delivers (as usual) a really solid performance in a third-rate role. This is not award winning acting, but its a role that some people would sleepwalk through (but he did not).

Most homaige films are derivative and so tied to the source material that they can't ever even be as good as what they are swiping. But this film was better than the original films.

Again, this isn't a work of art. But its honest to what it is and it was well done within the parameters of what it is.