Nobody 2 Review: Bob Odenkirk's Violent Vacation

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3 days ago

Hutch Mansell might be on vacation, but in Nobody 2, trouble clearly didn't get the memo. It's been four years since Bob Odenkirk got his big break as an action hero in the 2021 film Nobody. This sequel once again follows Hutch (Odenkirk), now fully embracing waking up every day and choosing violence. As this wears on his marriage to Becca (Connie Nielsen), he takes his family, including his wife, dad, son, and daughter on a vacation. But he soon finds himself taking on new foes in a fun action-packed sequel that proves that Odenkirk can still kick ass at 62.
The first Nobody was written by Derek Kolstad, best known for creating the John Wick movies. In many ways, that first movie felt like an early draft of Wick; not as good, but still very entertaining. This sequel has Timo Tjahjanto taking over directorial responsibilities from Ilya Naishuller. Despite Naishuller's strong directorial work, Tjahjanto was a strong pick for this series. Those (like me) familiar with Tjahjanto's work on action thrillers like Headshot and The Night Comes For Us know that he can direct violence. And if there's anything an action movie like Nobody 2 is going to offer, it's tons of splatter-ific glory.
A blood-soaked vacation of violence is what you can expect going into this movie. Much like The Naked Gun, this is the perfect movie to watch if you want to get out of the summer heat and have some fun under the air conditioning of a movie theater for 89 minutes. It's a short, breezy actioner that doesn't overstay its welcome and delivers on all the laughs, punches, guns, and explosions you can expect from a movie that knows exactly what it is and embraces it at every turn.
Like the first movie, you can tell Odenkirk is doing the majority of his stunts himself. It's a trend that we've been seeing a lot lately. If actors like Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, and Ana de Armas are making long wide takes featuring their face and their stunts, other actors are going to want to avoid falling by the wayside. So with Nobody 2, it's action o'clock, and this movie has tons of it. Tjahjanto films everything quite well, not relying much on wides, but always keeping the camera movement dynamic so that we can feel how hard those hits are.
People who frequented the movie theater in the 80s and 90s will be happy to see familiar faces like Christopher Lloyd and Sharon Stone in this movie, as they're both having a lot of fun. Lloyd is entertaining as the slightly crazy grandpa, and Stone gets to chew up the scenery as the villain, Lendina. Is she a great villain? No. She only shows up in the latter half of the movie and doesn't have much to do that's memorable. You can tell Stone read the character description as 'evil villain' and understood the assignment, cranking it up to the max and making an evil character. She's not multi-dimensional, but she didn't have to be.
That's the thing with action movies like Nobody 2. People show up for the action, not for the script. As long as an action film's script isn't outwardly bad, audiences don't really care. What matters is the most important question: Are you having a good time? This movie gives you a good time and a script that's nothing to write home about. Nobody 2 won't be winning any awards for its screenwriting. The dialogue and the character moments exist solely because they have to. Great writing is nowhere to be found in this movie, but that's not what you're here for. You're here to watch guns go bang and explosions go boom. That's what I wanted too. And that's what I got.
So I'll forgive Nobody 2 for being completely unremarkable in the script department. We have some story beats, but for the most part, the script is nothing more than a thin rope that holds a string of action sequences together. We know who the good guys are, and we know who the bad guys are. All that's left to do is watch them fight. There's tons of mileage out of seeing Odenkirk punch bad guys in the face. Action movies can be cathartic in that weird sort of way. Watching bad people get bloodied and bruised is a pastime many will never get sick of.
The best part of Nobody 2? The finale. One of the novelties of this movie is the juxtaposition of a fun family vacation with a violent crime-filled narrative. The town Hutch takes his family to has a lot of crime going on, and part of the joy is the fact that Hutch can't seem to hold himself back from intervening. The last 30 minutes are a delight. A carnival of carnage featuring ball pits, halls of mirrors, and water slides turned deadly. A conveyor belt of stunt performers and practical effects, with our heroes ripping through them all. This movie amps things up a bit from the original, even if the final result is a sequel that doesn't do anything mind-blowing, but gets the job done. Turns out, the only thing more dangerous than Hutch with a gun is Hutch trying to relax.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon's review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to 'Good.' A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.
Disclosure: ComingSoon attended a press screening for our Nobody 2 review.
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