Bob Odenkirk is back to kick ass in the action sequel Nobody 2, which delivers pretty much everything that worked in the first movie without really adding anything new.
Nobody 2 picks up with Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) back working as an assassin for “The Barber” (Colin Salmon) whose organization paid off the Russian mob’s obshchak and puts Hutch in their debt. Needing a break and sensing his family drifting apart, Hutch plans a family vacation to Plummerville, a resort town that Hutch visited as a child. Running afoul of the local sheriff (Colin Hanks) and the owner of the town’s amusement park, Wyatt Martin (John Ortiz), Hutch inadvertantly stumbles into the apex of a massive smuggling operation where guns, drugs and and other contraband are shipped through Plummerville and makes him and his family the target of the operation’s psychotic leader, Lendina (Sharon Stone). The movie can mostly get right into the action, as we are familiar with Hutch’s skills and his past as an “auditor,” but it hits very similar beats to the first movie. There’s a fight on a “duck boat” that I would bet comes at almost the same time as the first big bus fight from the first movie, and there are many more similarities throughout. The plot is really just a frame to hang action sequences on, and it’s servicable enough to keep your interest. The movie also doesn’t overstay its welcome, coming in just under 90 minutes. It also leans more into Odenkirk’s comedic abilities and offers up more humor in the action. The setting of a slightly run-down amusement park town is an excellent backdrop for some fun and creative action. If you go in not expecting anything drastically different from the first Nobody, you’ll have a good time with this one.
Bob Odenkirk continues to prove he’s a surprisingly great action hero, and he acquits himself just as well in this movie as he did in the first one. There are plenty of great moments where Hutch is trying to keep his cool, and someone does something to piss him off, and you know that something violent and over the top is about to go off, and he’s believable taking on multiple bad guys and coming out on top. Colin Hanks is great as the slimy, corrupt sheriff of the town, and Sharon Stone seems to be having a blast going nuts as Lendina, including things like having a pre-killing dance break. Connie Nielsen thankfully gets more to do in the sequel than she got to do in the first movie, and Christoper Lloyd and RZA are back and have some great moments as Hutch’s father and brother.
One of the things I was most excited about with Nobody 2 was that Timo Tjahjanto was directing. He’s made masterpieces like The Night Comes For Us and the recent The Shadow Strays, and always comes up with new, innovative ways to showcase violent, highly choreographed action. Nobody 2 doesn’t quite reach the heights of his previous movies. However, it’s still full of fun action sequences, culminating in a battle in a water park that features unique ways to turn the various rides and slides into deadly traps, reminiscent of the factory fight from the first movie. The action is well-shot and blends gore with a Jackie Chan-style comedy that is tons of fun to watch.
Nobody 2 doesn’t attempt to alter the formula established in the first movie significantly. Still, if you’re looking for more Bob Odenkirk kicking ass in a fun action movie, Nobody 2 should deliver what you’re looking for.
