Hobo With a Shotgun - Blu-ray Review

4.3 Stars (out of 5)

Synopsis

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 pawnshop window displaying a second hand 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. (Buy Now $15.99)

Starring:

Rutger Hauer, Pasha Ebrahimi, Rob Wells, Brian Downey, Gregory Smith, Nick Bateman, Drew O'Hara, Molly Dunsworth, Jeremy Akerman, Mark A. Owen

Director:

Jason Eisener

Blu-ray Release Date:

July 5, 2011

Subtitles:

English SDH, Spanish

Rating

Overall rating weighted as follows:
Audio 40%, Video 40%, Special Features 20%, Movie - its just our opinion so take it with a grain of salt

Audio 4.0 Stars (out of 5)

Dolby and DTS Demo Discs used as basis for comparison
●        Subwoofer - 4.0 Stars
●        Dialog - 4.0 Stars
●        Surround Effects - 4.0 Stars
●        Dynamic Range - 4.0 Stars

English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Hobo has a decent audio mix that matches the movie fairly well. The first thing you notice is the cheesy synthesizer heavy soundtrack, it pumps wobbly bass tones and brings you back to the 70's and helps set the tone for one of the craziest movies I have ever seen. At times it's hard to hear some of the dialog, because most other aspects of audio is presented a little hot. At first the surrounds are mostly used for the soundtrack, but in the third act, the stage opens up and the sounds of crowds, lawnmowers, screams, and (of course) shotguns fill the room.

Video 4.6 Stars (out of 5)

Spears & Munsil Benchmark Blu-ray Edition used as basis for comparison
●        Color Accuracy  - 4.0 Stars
●        Shadow detail - 4.5 Stars
●        Clarity - 4.5 Stars
●        Skin tones - 5.0 Stars
●        Compression - 5.0 Stars

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC, Resolution: 1080p, Aspect Ratio: 2.41:1, Original Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1

The video on this Blu-ray is styled with a 70's budget film in mind. Which means it should be sub-par but it isn't. This film has very hot and vibrant colors that match the over the top tone of the film. It has high film grain but it doesn't compromise on the clarity of the film. Whiskers, wrinkles, and sticky bright red blood all show with great detail. Dark colors are ultra dark without compromising much on other colors or shadow detail.

Bonus Features 4.5 Stars (out of 5)

• Shotgun Mode: Plays the movie, but allows behind the scenes footage to be seen when the shotgun icon appears
• Shotgun Mode Clips (1080p, 1:46:27): Shows all 44 clips from shotgun mode without interrupting the movie.
• Commentary Tracks: Two tracks one with director Jason Eisener and Rutger Hauer. The second with director Jason Eisener, writer John Davies, producer Rob Cotterill, and David Brunt.
• More Blood, More Heart: The Making of Hobo with a Shotgun (1080p, 45:22)
• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 5:58): Two small scenes, plus a montage of unused footage.
• Alternate Ending (1080p, 00:33): Here, we're introduced to the newest member of "The Plague."
• Video Blogs (SD): Nine short video blogs that were on the Hobo website.
• Camera Test Reel (1080p, 3:28): Test footage of the Red Camera.
• Fangoria Interviews (SD, 44:29): Jason Eisener and Rutger Hauer are interviewed by the famous horror magazine.
• HDNet: A Look at Hobo with a Shotgun (1080i, 5:13): A promo of the film with a few interviews.
• Grindhouse Trailer Contest Winner: Hobo with a Shotgun (SD, 2:07): The trailer that started it all.
• Hobo with a Shotgun Faux Trailer Contest Winner: Van Gore (SD, 2:01): Hobo held its own fake trailer contest, and the winning entry is about an artist who literally paints the town red…with blood.
• Redband U.S. Theatrical Trailers (SD, 4:08)
• Canadian TV Spots (SD, 1:32)
• Also From Magnolia Home Entertainment Blu-ray (1080p, 3:48)

Movie - 3.5 Stars (out of 5)

Review

Hobo with a Shotgun isn't for everyone, it's a borderline horror film, with cheesy dialog, and over the top characters. However, when all the crazy ingredients come together its a delicious casserole of awesomeness. When I said this movie had corny lines I didn't exaggerate. They are so over the top corny, it had to be on purpose, witch makes them funny. Lines like, "I'm gonna wash off this blood, with your blood" had to be done for laughs right? The only actor of note in this film is Rutger Hauer, and he does a good job of bringing a little dignity to this small budget film. In fact, most of the characters in this film are so horribly evil you end up on the crazy hobo's side.

I could imagine this film playing as a triple feature with the Grindhouse films (Terror Planet & Death Proof). In fact, the director made a promotional "fake trailer" for this movie for a Grindhouse related contest back in 2007 with only $150 dollars. After it became popular on YouTube, the first time director was offered to make it into a movie. Hobo does have it's problems there are several interesting plot points that happen without any explanation at all. Sometimes the movie goes overboard, just for the sake of going overboard. Even with it's flaws, Hobo is one of the funniest movies I've seen all year.