Hobo with a Shotgun

Like Robert Rodriguez's Machete, Jason Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun also sports a retro look with yellow-gold credits and grainy film stock. Rutger Hauer stars as the titular figure in a wool cap who pushes a shopping cart around a crime-filled town run by The Drake (Brian Downey). In the opening sequence, the white-suited Drake beheads an unruly relative, setting the scene for the rest of this grim exercise. The Drake's sons, Ivan (Nick Bateman) and Slick (Gregory Smith)—who take their style inspiration from Risky Business-era Tom Cruise (varsity jackets and Ray-Ban Wayfarers)—share their father's sadistic streak. When the Hobo reports them to the cops, the police chief invites the boys to carve up the Hobo's chest, after which Abby (Molly Dunsworth), the proverbial hooker with a heart of gold, helps to clean him up. The Hobo's reign of revenge begins when he secures a shotgun, which he uses to blow away pimps, pedophiles, and armed robbers, inspiring the clever headline: "Hobo Stops Begging, Demands Change." Drake and sons go nuts after that, slaughtering vulnerable citizens while trying to smoke out the perpetrator, eventually leading to a bloody showdown involving the Hobo, Drake, and two of the latter's metal-garbed henchmen known collectively as the Plague. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Blu-ray/DVD extras include two audio commentaries (the first with director Jason Eisener and star Rutger Hauer; the second with Eisener, writer John Davies, producer Rob Cotterill, and original “Hobo” David Brunt), a “Shotgun Mode” interactive feature with nearly two hours of behind-the-scenes footage, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are a “making-of” featurette (46 min.), Fangoria interviews with Hauer and Eisener (45 min.), video blogs (7 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), an HDNet behind-the-scenes featurette (5 min.), a camera test reel (4 min.), a brief alternate ending, a bonus digital copy of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a trashy, violent B-movie.] (K. Fennessy)