Sundance Review: Hobo With a Shotgun

Score:D+

Director:Jason Eisener

Cast:Rutger Hauer, Gregory Smith, Molly Dunsworth

Running Time:86.00

Rated:NR

When the train rolls into its final stop, a weary-eyed man jumps off with dreams of a new start.  But he soon realizes that his new home is nothing more than an urbanized version of hell.  Run by crooked cops and a maniac monster known only as 'The Drake,' the town is the perfect version of hell on Earth.  But the fear-dealing family won't be in control for long; not if the town's newest resident has anything to say about it.  Jason Eisener's Hobo With a Shotgun tells the story of our traveler, who risks everything to save a town full of delinquent suckers who simply refuse to fight back.

I really wanted to love this film.  Not only do I enjoy the always discomforting selections that comprise Sundance's 'Park City at Midnight' category, but I got to see Eisener's short film, Treevenge, at my first Sundance.  So, in a way, he holds a special place with me.  Sadly, Hobo With a Shotgun is an unfortunate excuse for a film; one that contains a solid story, but still lacks the development and reasoning for a true-to-form, feature length hit.

My biggest problem with this film lies in its story and presentation.  The music is loud, the dialogue a bit too soft and the story a bit ridiculous.  Now I get the point of the film.  I understand that it is paying homage to the Grindhouse genre of the 70s and 80s, and it isn't supposed to be a Hollywood conformed tale.  However, it still needs to make sense, and it needs to have a purpose.  Like I said, this film did neither.

Rutger Hauer, who played the original killer in 1986's The Hitcher, does a good job here as 'Hobo'.  His delivery is fun and lighthearted, and he brings an unusual sense of class and excitement to the picture.  Those around him don't live up to their billing, but somehow that is okay, as long as Hauer is in the picture.  He meshes with the story nicely, using the overdone aspects to his full advantage.

I honestly believe that if this film had debuted anywhere else, other than the Sundance Film Festival, it would not be well received.  I know many festival enthusiast applaud it for its originality; however, it lacks clarity and purpose.  I see what Eisener and company were trying to accomplish, but they attempted to go too far with their story.  As a result, the film is mediocre at best.  A true midnight flick, but one that will never resonate with the masses.

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About Stephen Davis

Stephen Davis
I owe this hobby/career to the one and only Stephanie Peterman who, while interning at Fox, told me that I had too many opinions and irrelevant information to keep it all bottled up inside. I survived my first rated R film, Alive, at the ripe age of 8, it took me months to grasp the fact that Julia Roberts actually died at the end of Steel Magnolias, and I might be the only person alive who actually enjoyed Sorority Row…for its comedic value of course. While my friends can drink you under the table, I can outwatch you when it comes iconic, yet horrid 80s films like Adventures in Babysitting and Troop Beverly Hills. I have no shame when it comes to what I like, and if you have a problem with that, then we’ll settle it on the racquetball court. I see too many movies to actually win any film trivia contest, so don’t waste your first pick on me. My friends rent movies from my bookcase shelves, and one day I do plan to start charging. I long to live in LA, where my movie obsession will actually help me fit in, but for now I am content with my home in Austin. I prefer indies to blockbusters, Longhorns to Sooners and Halloween to Friday the 13th. I miss the classics, as well as John Ritter, and I hope to one day sit down and interview the amazing Kate Winslet.

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