The Vagrant

well the movie doesn't start as strong as one might think with this all-star line up, but really picks up after the fantasy scene where the Vagrant is humping Bill paxton's wife, this is the turning point of the movie where you don't know who to trust and where to turn for the next exciting scene. Just remember, you never know who the vagrant really is, dood.

This movie is what blew Paxton up to be in movies like Trespass, he puts on a heartfelt performance, even though he sleeps with 400 lbs. trailer park woman, he saves face by doing it while he is handcuffed, so its not really his fault. I gave this movie 9 stars because of the riveting plot and super cast.

Up and coming Graham Krakowski is a white, middleclass, wannabe yuppie. He buys a fixer upper house near the city center and moves in. However an old tramp also uses the house and Krakowski has to install a fortune of security devices. The tramp continues to get into the house and terrorise Krakowski, even though no one seems to see anything. As people begin to turn up dead, he wonders if it's all in his head and the police suspect him. Is the tramp real and, if so, what is his interest in Krakowski?

I didn't have high hopes for this despite the headline stars – they weren't big names then (this was one of Paxton's first lead roles). I also was put off by it's description as a horror/comedy – executive produced by Mel Brooks of all people! It started blandly enough but managed to have a few moments that fulfilled it's definition. It doesn't have out and out jokes, but some moments are funny – the police reaction to news of urination is the funniest. It also has some exciting moments of tension, but both are rare and scattered.

The story doesn't quite know what it's doing and because of that it's a little weak. However it does well enough to be entertaining, but it feels lost and slightly cheap. Paxton is actually quite good in a changing role, but Ironside doesn't have much to do. Marshall Bell as the vagrant is good despite just jumping out and going boo every 5 minutes – he is scary and unsettlingly unpleasant.

Overall this is OK to watch but isn't great. The comedy adds a strange mood to it and the drama/horror works quite well. Shame it feels a little cheap.

You need a dark sense of humor and a certain misanthropic attitude to truly enjoy this movie. It's right up my alley, but I can see why it flopped at the box office. Not high brow/pretentious enough to be appreciated by the art-house crowd, and possibly too twisted and mature to appeal to young adults/teens.

I see similarities with Mike Judges work, who is also good at exposing the BS of the human race in a very entertaining way, and whose movies are also not for everyone. This was the last movie Chris Wales directed, presumably due to the lack of financial success, which I think is a huge shame.

This Bill Paxton vehicle has reached a very bizarre stage in it's pre-DVD days. And would you believe that? Almost 20 years later and the film still doesn't have a DVD release. Paxton, Ironside, a terrorizing vagrant...what the hell, man?

If you're like me (which you most certainly are not since you can't do 29 3/4 pull-ups) then you stumbled upon this film. Well, not exactly a stumble either...more like a carefully executed stunt that ended up with you face-planting in comical fashion all rag-doll like. What I mean is, search for this movie's poster. You're looking at it, right? Well, the question is, were you blown away? If you were, keep reading as me and you, we're pals. If you're confused at why I asked you to look at The Vagrant poster, then you...simply don't have what it takes. Take a look in the mirror and shake your head. Now, kick rocks!

The Vagrant is a Paxton-led film that has him acting like a total ninny nut through basically the entire duration of the film. But it's totally understandable; he has a disgusting monster of a hobo lurking around in and around his home. Paxton sees the vagrant in his dreams, in his house, and even banging his girl-friend. Paxton is slowly unraveling, people are dying, and even with the assistance of Ironside (who plays his character very well; his first scene he enters the room, picks his nose and flicks the booger) as a tough detective, the misfortune keeps adding up for poor old Paxton. Mystery, intrigue, extreme paranoia, a boob or two....it's all here.

What we have here with this flick is a genuine, unique piece of creative early 90's film-making. The story, the characters, the music (which added a great touch to the film), the whole entire film packs a totally worthwhile movie for fans that enjoy a mix of black comedy with OTT performances and ideas. Honestly, all you really need to do is look at the poster for this movie and you'll know if you want to see the movie. For me, after taking a glimpse of it, it was like eating, it was totally necessary. And having the film revolve around a maniacal hobo....just see this movie.

There are good movies and there are bad movies, and then there are movies so delightfully skewed that the terms "good" and "bad" cease to apply. The Vagrant is of this last variety.

Bill Paxton stars as Graham Krakowski, the epitome of young professionalism, who is buying his first home. On his first day in the new house (although "new" is a misnomer; the kitchen looks as if it was last updated around 1966), he walks in on a vagrant (Marshall Bell) hunched over the kitchen sink. Shortly after, he discovers the vagrant living on the vacant lot across the street. What follows is a paranoiac's nightmare; a hilariously twisted game of cat-and-mouse, with the vagrant testing the limits of Krakowski's sanity. The vagrant does such a good job of driving him crazy that nobody believes Krakowski when he insists the vagrant is out to get him. Especially skeptical is Michael Ironside, playing a dense-as-a-cement-block police lieutenant (with the unlikely name of Ralf Barfuss, no less). When Krakowski calls the police after finding the vagrant in his house eating a sandwich, Barfuss asks (with a sort of gleeful maliciousness), "And what kind of sandwich was this alleged man eating?"

When the murders start, nobody listens to Krakowski, who is convinced the vagrant is to blame. Barfuss is dead-set on nailing Krakowski for the murders, and even Graham's best friend questions his sanity.

This is the first horror movie I've watched where I was sure everything I was laughing at was actually intended to be funny. I knew I was having fun about 15 minutes into the movie, when the following exchange took place -

KRAKOWSKI: Quick, I think he(the vagrant)'s getting ready to urinate!

COP 1: Should we call for back-up?

COP 2: There's no time!

The Vagrant moves along at a pretty good clip, and the story, particularly the second half, plays out like one of the more surreal episodes of Tales from the Crypt. The balance between horror and comedy is a bit uneven, bordering on the ridiculously stupid at times, but still enjoyable. Michael Ironside is great in a rare comedic performance (although a larger role would have been nice); Marshall Bell's vagrant is an over-the-top boogyman who jumps out periodically to scare Bill Paxton; and it's just plain FUN watching Paxton degenerate from an uptight, neurotic yuppie to a scruffy, gun-toting trailer-park manager.

B+ if you're a fan of tongue-in-cheek horror-comedy or the main stars;

C- (or less) if you're a cinematic snob.