It’s safe to say that the John Wick franchise rejuvenated the action genre in the most significant way since Liam Neeson’s Taken. Taking that formula and placing an actor in a role they are not typically known for was elevated by action that blew audiences’ minds and introduced them to levels of over-the-top gunplay and hand-to-hand combat that had never been so brilliantly choreographed. Derek Kolstad – the writer of that revolutionary franchise – is back at it again with his latest ultra-violent revenge flick Nobody; only this time around the ass-kickings are being delivered by funnyman Bob Odenkirk of Breaking Bad fame. Talk about an inspired casting choice. That unique comedic energy adds just enough of a different flavour to the consistently brilliant action scenes to set it apart from the Keanu Reeves-starring counterpart and keep things fresh, even if the story leans all too often into that familiar territory with its structure and villain; an easy sin to forgive for a film as fun as Nobody is.
Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) is your typical nine-to-five everyman, working for his wife Becca’s (Connie Nielsen) family in a nothing accounting job and hating every second of it. Having lost his lust for life, an attempted break-in one fateful night is enough to trigger a long-dormant part of Hutch’s past: a former life as a fixer for American intelligence agencies, sent in as the last man to wrap up loose ends and leave nothing alive. On a mission to retrieve his daughter’s stolen kitty cat bracelet and high off the adrenaline, Hutch instigates a brutal bare-knuckles brawl with a gang of hoodlums on a local bus, leaving them wishing they had never crossed the father of two’s path. Unfortunately for Hutch, one of those men was the brother of high-ranking Russian mobster Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksey Serebryakov) and what began as a small-scale scrap soon escalates into all-out war as Hutch is forced to use every weapon in his arsenal to protect his family; stopping at nothing until the entire Russian gang hunting him is bruised, bloody and buried six feet under.
The strongest and most unusual weapon in Nobody’s arsenal is undoubtedly Odenkirk. Physically he is completely transformed from previous roles into an action hero worthy of the Wick pedigree; not necessarily a hulking mass of physicality, but lithe and impactful during the incredibly choreographed fights, of which Odenkirk himself performed a large portion of the stunts. That winning streak of charming smartassery also shines through in these action scenes, with Hutch not as capable as Keanu when dispatching hordes of Russian enemies. He gets knocked on his ass. A lot. But it is that confident smirk as he reads an opponents move and expertly counters or the quiet quip he mutters to nobody in particular after being tossed through a window that give the fights personality and flavour; this isn’t the silent assassin effortlessly creating corpses but rather the neighbourhood dad let loose; slogging his way through a scrap whilst worrying about the bills. It makes for some extremely watchable and fun sequences that differentiate the film enough from its genre counterparts to stay fresh.
The story is where your mileage may vary. Coming to Nobody for a mind bogglingly original concept isn’t going to leave you satisfied, as Odenkirk’s performance quite rightly takes centre stage over the rather lacklustre and forgetful mob boss Yulian. There are attempts to give him personality through awkward karaoke sing-a-longs and some unexpected wise cracks here and there but he is largely played as the typical Russian mercenary with a violent mean streak. These scenes can sometimes detract from the pacing, especially after a particularly thrilling Hutch sequence, but are ultimately necessary to give the sense that some development is being given to the villain of the piece, even if his contributions in the final conflict are woeful. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the only other actor who comes close to stealing the show from Odenkirk: Doc Brown himself Christopher Lloyd. As the nursing home bound geriatric father of Hutch, Lloyd is hilarious, talking a tough game and delivering some sharp tongued insults at his son before delighting in murderous glee when he inevitably becomes embroiled in the Russian’s war against Hutch. Some of the most laugh-out-loud moments come from the simple looks of elation on his face as he mows down baddies with a heavy-duty necklace full of shotguns. It’s ridiculously good fun.
A tired retread of John Wick this is not, as Derek Kolstad’s script delivers enough humour and character moments to delineate itself from his defining franchise and (hopefully) launch a brand new ass-kicking oldies one. While it doesn’t stray too far from the path in terms of its setup and story, it more than makes up for it with the sheer delight of seeing Odenkirk and Lloyd tear through armies of Russians with reckless abandon. Fight scenes of this calibre are hard to come by and the sheer fun in their execution hasn’t worn off yet, with a bodycount bordering on the ridiculous dispatched in wildly inventive and gory ways. If this is your first exposure to Odenkirk, then you certainly won’t be able to consider him a nobody after seeing the sheer carnage he delivers on-screen. Highly recommended.
Nobody stars Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen, RZA & Christopher Lloyd – In cinemas now.