Derek Kolstad, the writer of John Wick, and Hardcore Henry director Ilya Naishuller collaborate to bring us a new action franchise in Universal Pictures Nobody. Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is an ordinary man living a “by the numbers” life by all accounts. Intimacy with his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) is non-existent. His teenage son Blake (Gage Munroe) thinks his dad is a loser and the one bright spot in Hutch’s life is his daughter Sammy who adores her father.
Hutch’s home is burglarized one night, and despite Hutch having a clear shot to take the attackers out, he hesitates. Naturally, Hutch’s inner circle questions his weakness. They have no idea that Hutch has a secret past where he worked for the government and acquired a unique skill set. Hutch uses an old contact to track down the burglars, which then causes a domino effect in Hutch’s life. On his way home, Hutch intervenes to help a woman being harassed by a group of men. Hutch then becomes the target of a vengeful drug lord Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksei Serebryakov), which forces him to use his unique skills to protect his family.
At its core, Nobody is a throwback action film. Derek Kolstad’s script wastes no time setting up its simple premise and delivers on the action goods. One of the things I loved about the writing was it keeps the film’s run time a little over ninety minutes. Thus, director Ilya Naishuller lets loose with the gun battles and ass kicking when the action does occur. Similar to the John Wick franchise, Nobody’s action is concise and believable. While Hutch is a skilled assassin, the film never portrays him as indestructible. He takes his fair share of hits and finds time to reload his weapon.
I was not too familiar with Bob Odenkirk’s notable role of Saul Goodman, as I have never seen Breaking Bad or Better Call Saul. Thankfully, this added to my enjoyment of the film, as I could relate to the everyman approach Odenkirk gives Hutch. The communication issues that Hutch has with his family are something I have gone through. The look Odenkirk provides the audience with when he holds back from retaliating against the burglars is a stare that I had in my younger days.
Nobody also has a solid supporting cast. While she does not have a ton to do, Connie Nielson portrays her wife role the best she can. Aleksei Serebryakov is also suitable as our primary antagonist. However, after Hutch, the character’s I enjoyed the most were Hutch’s father and his half-brother. Christopher Lloyd plays David Mansell, Hutch’s father, who is a retired FBI agent. While Hip Hop Icon RZA slides into the role of Harry Mansell, Hutch’s half-brother. Both RZA and Christopher Lloyd get a chance to join in on the action and are having a great time. I sincerely hope the film is a success so we can see more adventures from the Mansell family.
With a solid mix of action, humor, and an excellent lead performance, Nobody is highly recommended.
Final Grade A –
Nobody is available to stream your preferred digital retailer. In addition the film is showing in theaters as well.
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