Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

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Hobo with a Shotgun is a 2011 Canadian action-exploitation film directed by Jason Eisener. It stars Rutger Hauer in the title role of an unnamed homeless man, referred to as "Hobo" in the credits, who becomes a vigilante after arriving in the crime ridden city of "Fuck Town"; otherwise know as Hope Town.

The film is based on a faux-trailer featured in Canadian prints of the 2008 film collaboration, Grindhouse, being the winning submission from the 2007 SXSW Grindhouse Trailer Contest. It is also the second trailer to be made into a feature-length film, after Robert Rodriguez's Machete. The film tributes the 1980's era of sleazy ultra-violent action films, down to the synthesizer soundtrack and over-saturated color scheme.

Background

Contest

In 2007, Ain't It Cool News announced The Grindhouse Trailers Contest, co-sponsored by director Robert Rodriguez and the South By Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. The contest asked contestants to create a short trailer that, if won, will be featured in the Rodriguez/Tarantino double feature, Grindhouse.

 "Spread the word, you dirty cocksuckers!"

Inspired by the films of his childhood, director Jason Eisner called up his friend and collaborator, Rob Cotterill to work on his entry; a send-up of all the things he loved about the '70s-'80s genre films his friends would purchase from video stores and watch in his shed. Shooting for the trailer began the very evening of the contest's announcement. The trailer for Hobo with a Shotgun was shot over a six-day period, with a budget of $150 and without permits. It starred first-time actor, and bear expert, David Brunt as the original hobo.

The trailer would become the fan-favorite of the contest, receiving an immensely positive feedback: including praise from AICN's founder, Harry Knowles, and G4/Tech-TV. Hobo with a Shotgun became a finalist for the contest, going up against two other trailers with revenge themes: "The Dead Won't Die" and "Maiden of Death". At the SXSW festival, Robert Rodriguez announced Hobo with a Shotgun as the winner. Having won the spot in Grindhouse, along with bragging rights and a goodie bag of editing software, the trailer garnered more praise from the industry. The trailer was shown in exclusively Canadian prints of Grindhouse.

Production

 Before principal photography began, Jason Eisner taped this mantra to the back of his monitor.

On heels of the trailer's success, plans for a feature-length film soon began. Niv Fichman was picked up as a producer for film, being a fan of the trailer and seeing Eisner's potential as a filmmaker. In April 2010, filming began in Halifax. The characters were all recast, with Rutger Hauer, who was also cast in '80s genre films (among other things), playing the lead the role. David Brunt was cast for a cameo role where, in the film, he blurts out the line "We're all dirty cops!" Updates on the film's production and filming were posted on the film's website, which also included "behind the scenes" videos, promotional shorts, and pictures taken on the set. Even a contest to create a new trailer for the movie was held on the site. The film wrapped up in June of the same year.

The amount of fake blood used in filming was immense. While a precise number of gallons used is unknown at this point, Zane Knisely, the film's make-up effects artist claims it was the "bloodiest film he had ever worked on". The production's love of blood was a focus of some behind the scenes promotional clips. The crew used special techniques to create the film’s gore; in one case filling eggs with fake blood, though it failed to achieve the desired effect. They even had what they called a "blood truck", operated by special effects artist, Henry Townsend. One scene from the film, where a homeless man is crushed by a backhoe, was shot to make use of 60 gallons of leftover blood.

The film was shown at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, The SXSW Film Festival, and began a limited theater run on March 25, 2011.

Plot Synopsis

 Out looking for a new way of life.

A homeless man (Rutger Hauer) out to start a new life hitches a ride on a boxcar on its way to Hope Town, a city with an enormous crime problem. In broad daylight, he walks past scenes of theft, prostitution, and even a "bum fight". But keeps his distance, sometimes appearing helpless. Later in the day he comes across the flamboyant crime boss The Drake ( Brian Downey), and his two sadistic, and meat-headed sons, Slick ( Gregory Smith) and Ivan. ( Nick Bateman) The hobo, with the rest of the crowd, watch in horror as they murder The Drake’s own brother as part of his regular "show". Having won a 'contest' to become a victim, the man's head is put around a manhole cover and pulled off by a truck, leaving a bloody spectacle. In Hope Town, no one is safe and no one dares to step up against the tyrannical madmen.

 Sick and tired of being sick and tired.

But the hobo isn't here to fight. In fact, he hopes to start a lawn-mowing business so he can try to at least make the town more beautiful. So into the evening hours he panhandles for change, so that he may buy a lawnmower that he saw in a pawnshop’s window. But he barely makes any money and abandons this plan. Instead, he walks over to an arcade where he saw a small gang drag a beaten man into. Inside the arcade, which is operated by The Drake, criminals torture and murder mostly homeless civilians, with re-purposed carnival games. Also present are Drake's sons, who the hobo watches as they break an addict's arm and then make him snort a pile of cocaine. Next, he follows Slick out back with a prostitute named Abby ( Molly Dunsworth), who had tried to get him to stop bulling the addict but soon after became Slick's customer. Hut before she can offer her services, Slick tries to kidnap and, presumably, kill her. The hobo intervenes and knocks him out with his sock full of change. Having made a citizen's arrest, the hobo carries Slick down to the police station; requesting that the boy be locked away and that he speaks with the chief of police. But it turns out that the whole police department is corrupt and the chief of police allows Slick to carve "SCUM" into the hobo's chest as he and Ivan hold him down. Staggering away from the station, he runs into Abby, who takes him back to her apartment for the night, giving him clean clothes and a place to rest.

 Jerk on this!

New Petitions Against Tax?!

The hobo leaves in the morning, leaving a "thank you" note by Abby's couch with a picture of a bear in her empty picture frame. He goes out to find the bum fight organizer, who is willing to pay the hobo if he degrades himself on film. The hobo is paid to break a bottle over his head, chew on the glass, and then pick up the earned money with his teeth. Now having enough money, he goes back to the pawnshop to purchase the lawnmower. But, suddenly, three armed robbers arrive and hold up the store. However, they don't notice the hobo, who is now eyeing a new item in the shop: a single barrel pump-action shotgun. The hobo grabs the gun off the wall, loads it, and blasts away the three crooks. Now armed, the hobo goes back to the bum fight director, who he shoots and then forces to eat the tape he made of him. Throughout the week, the hobo starts delivering vigilante justice, one shell at a time. In his spree, he dispatches other targets, including an abusive pimp as well as a pedophile dressed up as Santa Claus. His actions bring hope to the people, who begin organizing neighborhood watches, and turn him into a local hero.

  FEAR US, BRO.

Word spreads to The Drake, who is infuriated at what happened to Slick, the boys’ initial handling of the hobo, and that the town would be inspired by a man who lacks creativity with his kills. (Drake’s creativity is seen in the background, where three topless women are beating a man being hung upside down.) He knows that Slick has the potential to be feared, and urges that he goes out to scare the community into reminding them of the family’s power. So he and Ivan set out to a local school to set an example. They board a schoolbus full of children and, while Ivan blasts out "Disco Inferno" from a boombox, Slick burns them alive with a flamethrower. Back in town, civilians gather at the pawnshop to watch the news story about the horrific murder. As he reports, the brothers enter the studio and murder the newscaster. They use the charred remains of one of the children to remind the public of what happens to those who "follow beggars instead of Drake". The Drake family gives the suffering city an ultimatum: they must go out and kill all of Hope City's homeless population, or else the Drakes with kill more of their children. The Drake himself also offers up his entire harem of women as a reward to anyone who manages to kill the beloved hobo vigilante. The hobo, who also watched the event on pawnshop's television, flees the area. As he contemplates on what to do, the city begins hunting down the homeless. 
 

Shotgun + Duct Tape + Groin = Results

During the riots, the hobo saves Abby yet again from one cop who was trying to rape her. After blasting the cop into a bloody mess, Abby manages to sneak him away from the rioters, attracted by the shotgun blasts, by hiding him in a grocery cart with the officer's corpse. The two make it back to Abby's apartment, where the hobo tells her that he never wanted to be vigilante. Telling her his original plan to start a lawnmowing business, she decides that they should leave the city and start up his business together. Unbeknownst to them Otis, the addict from the arcade, had watched them enter the apartment and had called up the Drake sons. The boys arrive and confront the two inside, who are packed up and ready to leave. After Abby cuts his face with a shard of glass, Slick takes her into her bedroom and starts to slowly cut off her head with a hacksaw. Ivan, meanwhile, fights the hobo, who manages to stick his ice-skate clad foot in a toaster and electrocute him. When Ivan comes to, Ivan he is forced to leave by the hobo, who has duct-taped his shotgun to Slick's groin. Slick pleads for his manhood as he is led down to a phonebooth, where the hobo pulls the trigger and leaves him to die. As the hobo rushes to take Abby to the hospital, Slick manages to call his father before he bleeds to death from his wound. As he lies dying, death comes to take him to Hell, screaming, via a scorched schoolbus. (Fucking metal.)

 I used to be one of you...

The hobo gets Abby to the hospital, where she recovers. After saying his goodbyes, he sets off to settle the score with The Drake, despite Abby's pleas. On his way out, he stops by the hospital maternity ward where he makes a speech to Hope Town's newborns. He tells them that if they grow up in this city, they will end up either dead, living a life of vice, or like him: a hobo with a shotgun. Meanwhile, The Drake, devastated by the news of Slick's death, calls upon the services Rip and Grinder: two armor-clad demons who are otherwise known as The Plague. The two arrive at the hospital, where they murder fleeing orderlies and capture the hobo. While imprisoned, the hobo taunts Ivan who believes that since his brother is dead, he now runs the show and now has all the respect of his dad. Meanwhile, Abby leaves the hospital and uses the hobo's shotgun to break into the pawnshop, where she equips his gun with an axe, creates a set of armor, and turns the lawnmower into a combat shield. On her way out, she encounters a mob of people, who are still out hunting for the homeless. She manages to stop their anti-homeless rioting and get them to rally against the city's true enemy: The Drake.

 I have a lawnmower shield. Your argument is invalid.

With the hobo as his captive, The Drake outfits him with his own manhole cover and takes him over to meet his death in front of a cheering crowd. But then Abby arrives and threatens to kill Ivan with her lawnmower shield. But The Drake, deeming him as expendable, shoots Ivan himself. In the ensuing fight, Abby dispatches of one of the Plague demons and save the hobo. She goes over to give the hobo back his shotgun, but The Drake grabs her from behind and, at gun point, forces her over to her lawnmower shield, which he uses to cut off her hand. Abby then pushes him off and stabs him with her exposed arm bone. As The Drake crawls away, Abby manages to lift the hobo out of the manhole, again putting the practically of her arm bone to use as leverage against the cover. Rip, the remaining Plague demon, then requests that Abby takes the place of his fallen comrade, to which the hobo refuses to allow. With that, the Plague departs into the night.

 Riding Shotgun

The hobo then picks up his gun, walks over to The Drake, and points his gun in the kingpin's face. But then the police arrive to arrest the hobo, demanding that he gives himself up or else they will kill him. But then the mob arrives and points their guns at the crooked officers. But the hobo is undeterred: The Drake is going on a car-ride to hell, and he's riding shotgun. The hobo pulls the trigger and blasts off The Drake's head. In response, the police gun down the hobo and, in turn, are gunned down by the mob. As Abby screams, the hobo lies motionless in the ally, while the camera pans over to the hero's gun.