It’s been four years since Bob Odenkirk packed a punch in the action-comedy Nobody , surprising audiences and critics alike with his turn as an action hero. Now, he’s back in an entertaining, albeit forgettable, sequel that might just be the popcorn movie of the summer.
In Nobody 2 , the Better Call Saul actor returns to the big screen as Hutch Mansell. The previous film revealed that suburban husband and dad Hutch was a one-time government assassin with phenomenal skills when it comes to dispensing of bad guys in the most painful way possible. In the sequel, he has returned to his old ways to pay off a large debt – the consequences of setting piles of cash aflame in the first film. Hutch is feeling the pressure from both his boss and his wife (Connie Nielsen), and decides it’s time to take a family vacation.
It is not necessary to have watched or remember the plot points of Nobody , as its sequel wastes no time in getting right into the action. Odenkirk gets more time to showcase his deft comedy skills in Nobody 2 .
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto and written by John Wick screenwriter Derek Kolstad, Nobody 2 seems to channel something more akin to Deadpool than the Keanu Reeves franchise, which suits these characters and the situations Hutch finds himself in much more than the first film. People getting hurt can be funny, especially when the camera cuts back to a chagrined Odenkirk who really just wants to enjoy his summer break. More than the punches, it’s Odenkirk’s visage that makes the story successful. The first film played it a bit more straight, but now that the sequel leans into the humour, it provides a refreshing and genuinely entertaining ride. It is not just violent: It is violently funny.
A lot of the entertainment comes from the film’s setting. The Mansell family, along with grandpa David (Christopher Lloyd), have decamped to the kitschy small town Plummerville, home to America’s first waterpark. A source of nostalgia and good memories for Hutch, Plummerville just happens to be a drug trafficking haven for a criminal syndicate run by Lendina (Sharon Stone).
Like much of the violence, Stone’s performance is campy and over-the-top. She’s clearly having fun with the role, and it’s great to see her take on the villain. However, it often feels like she’s pushed too far into extreme cartoony territory, standing in contrast to Odenkirk and the supporting cast, including John Ortiz and Colin Hanks. It is, at times, a ridiculous extreme played for laughs and shock value that more often than not falls flat.
Where Nobody 2 really sticks the landing is the phenomenal third act. Set in an amusement park whose heyday is decades in the past, Hutch and co. are kids in a candy store. Setting up booby traps that would make Home Alone ’s Kevin McAllister blush, the film leans into its setting with great success. It is genuinely fun to see the film utilize waterslides and fun houses as more than just a backdrop for violence.
There is no doubt that Nobody 2 is violent. Offering up a body count that is higher than its predecessor, Nobdoy 2 is non-stop action sequences as the seemingly indestructible Hutch repeatedly dispatches big groups in no time. He successfully fights so many bad guys in multiple match-ups over the movie’s 89-minute runtime that the fight sequences lose steam as the film progresses.
Despite some diminishing returns in the fights, some battles are not for the squeamish, which will elicit groans from the audience as much as there are blows that will garner laughs. It’s the perfect mix of blood, violence, and fun that the story demands. Once again, the stunt work and choreography are top-notch with Tjahjanto’s dynamic camera work working as a moving piece of the action.
Did we need a sequel to Nobody ? Probably not. But for those craving an entertaining summer action-comedy flick that leans more heavily on the action than the comedy (the opposite of Naked Gun ), then Nobody 2 delivers.
