By Geno McGahee
I’m a big Bill Paxton fan. He is one of those actors that can carry a flick but has not reached the superstar status, but he has made quite the living. In the early 1990s, he took what he could get for work, as most struggling actors do, and was the lead in the horror/comedy “THE VAGRANT.” When I saw it was produced by Mel Brooks, I was concerned. I don’t find any humor in any of his work and figured that this would be shit, but it’s best described as a mixed bag.
Graham Krakowski (Paxton) is seeking a new home in his price range. He finds a home that “has potential” and goes to check it out. It’s a dump, but it’s a dump in his price range and he buys it …but not after the real estate agent makes a move on him. That Paxton attraction is a strong thing.
Krakowski begins to see a bum, the Vagrant (Marshall Bell), in and around his house, prompting him to phone the police over and over again. He is being haunted by this man and bad things start to happen, including the murder of an elderly neighbor and the real estate lady that sold him the house. Krakowski walks in his sleep…so there is the thought that he is killing people in his sleep and the vagrant is merely a figment of his imagination.
Eventually, the police led by Lt. Barfuss (Michael Ironside) arrest and charge Krakowski with the two murders. At trial, Graham’s mother drops dead and he is found not guilty. As they leave the courtroom, the old woman’s body falls off of the stretcher and slides down the stairs. I have to admit. That was funny. Also, Michael Ironside is always great. He never really had his big shot. He is a compelling actor that always entertains and gives one hundred percent and he did so in this film. He was hilarious.
A new life in a trailer park and a new gal, Doattie (Patrika Darbo) don’t solve his problems. People start showing up dead again and the vagrant is back. This leads to a big showdown between Krakowski and the vagrant, and a very strange conclusion to this film.
THE VAGRANT felt like two films crammed together with neither had any structure. This film would have been unwatchable had it not been for the hilarious overacting of Paxton and Ironside. I also liked Patrika Darbo. She was very funny. The cast of this film saves it and I did find myself laughing from time to time. When an elderly woman is killed, the newscaster notes: “She had not been sexually molested. I repeat. She had not been sexually molested.” It was hilarious, and it tried to be funny at times…a little too hard, but it worked more often than not.
In the end, THE VAGRANT is worth a watch.
Rating: 5.5/10
