I had the pleasure of watching Hobo with a Shotgun in theaters at a second run theater a few months ago and to be honest, I could not remember a single thing about this movie besides the Hobo, the Shotgun, and the drain cover decapitations. After popping this film on the tele for a second time, I started to remember why.

Hobo with a Shotgun at first glance looks like one of those “Good to be bad” kind of films, but the truth is that it reads more like a horror movie. I love movies like this because the execution is typically very punk rock and unintentionally thrives off of the shock appeal created when people without the persuasion of years of experience and formatting have the opportunity and funding to create a full length movie.

The error that I had going into this film is that when a guy has his head ripped off in such a nontraditional manner, I want to laugh. I want the level of ridiculousness to match the level of humor, but in Hobo with a Shotgun this is replaced by a high level or darkness and gore. While the story and premise have been cleverly thought out and the characters are unique and original, anyone interested in the art of storytelling and concept will have to sit through the unexplainable amount of body explosions and excess blood.

[STATUS REPORT]

BROAD vs. UNIQUE - Completely unique. I’m pretty open minded to a lot of different films, but gore is not my specialty. I loooooove Dead Alive which is covered in goop, but Hobo with a Shotgun definitely pursues shock appeal in their execution and will probably be too much for most viewers to digest.

WATCHABILITY - The movie is a little slow at times because the story is so abstract and the world is so disoriented that it’s hard to get a real grasp for what’s going on in this environment. The pacing is pretty decent and it shouldn’t take you long to settle in with this film. Especially once the Hobo actually gets a shotgun. At that point, you should be hooked.

WHEN TO WATCH - When you and your friends hate your life, want to offend any girls in the room, you’ve had way too much “natty light”, you think gore is great, you watched the trailer and your jaw dropped, or if you are open to watching something a little outside of your comfort zone. I think the film is great, but definitely requires a heads up before going into this with the wrong attitude.

Yes! I am always more than excited to find a good campy film. Better yet, one that includes king fu. I’m not sure when I realized I was such a sucker for the art, but there’s something about choreographed fight scene that never seems to let you down. When that fight is between exploding geisha’s with a buzz saw for a face it gets legendary.

So to kick this off, I have to say I love RoboGeisha. Cheesy over dramatic shots and clever camera effects add a special pizazz to a lot of the fight scenes, creating an unnatural, almost sarcastic approach in their delivery. For the most part, I was satisfied to see that a lot of opportunities for additional gore were toned down to keep the feel of the movie dry and clever opposed to forcing a reaction through shock appeal. I’ll definitely admit that a few of the concepts went a little to south park and middle school for me to truly enjoy, but I was happy to find a film where sex and blood takes a back seat to a well executed joke or original fight scene. 

The rest of the movie tends to be a variation of story development, endless wtf moments, and a giant castle shaped robot [which will happily dance for you in the final scenes of this film]. To be honest, I don’t even know how to summarize the rest of this film without giving too much away, but I can guarantee you that if you enjoy campy films, cheesy kung fu, Black Dynamite, Six-String Samurai, or even Pokemon, then this movie is probably up your alley.

[STATUS REPORT]

BROAD VS NICHE - I’d definitely say that this is a niche audience delight, but I think there is some room for some crossover based solely on the comedic aspects of this movie. I wouldn’t suggest this movie to your girlfriend, but I think you can watch it with a party. It’s odd enough to keep everyone entertained and original enough to keep all the film nerds at bay.

WATCHABILITY - I give this a four simply because it wasn’t flawless. It was pretty darn close. The story always seemed to have a purpose whether it be exciting the audience with action or developing the characters for sake of the story. It just didn’t have the high intensity of a campy competitor like Shoot’em Up or Black Dynamite.

STATUS REPORT - It’s on Netflix Instant Queue. Your only obstacle in seeing this film should be whatever plans you currently have made. I give it a 4+ (which is a rating I just made up) because this isn’t the kind of movie you’ll mention when somebody asks… can you recommend some good movies, but it is the kind of film I would definitely encourage for an amazing late night laugh.