NOBODY (2021)

NOBODY (2021)

Tagline: Never underestimate a nobody.

(Action, Crime, Drama) [R]

They say God doesn't close one door without opening another. Please God, open that door.

In this one, a seemingly normal nobody named Hutch Mansell (played by Bob Odenkirk from BETTER CALL SAUL) lives with his two kids and wife in a very nice house and seem to live a fairly good but emotionally stale life. One night there is a break-in at their house and it sets off a series of events that leads to Hutch having a stand-off with the Russian mob. How is that for a bad few days? 

I don’t want to give too much away here, but the previews do tell you this movie is freakin violent. Think JOHN WICK only a different actor, and Hutch actually has a family. His wife in the film is competently played by Connie Nielsen who is best known for being WONDER WOMAN’s mom in the DCU. Christopher Lloyd (best known for BACK TO THE FUTURE) is also in this thing as Hutch’s father. This roll for Lloyd is pretty out of the box from most of the stuff I have seen him in, but he’s great in this. I got to thinking about Lloyd’s career and he’s showing no signs of slowing down, with 7 projects either filming or set to come out as the writing of this review. RZA is also in this and he’s great in the short sequence we see him in. RZA is probably best known for THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS, but his credits for all kinds of productions is as long as the inventory list of a ten-room hoarder's house. The main role is Bob Odenkirk as Hutch, who had some real-life emotions to draw on. His own house was broken into twice one of which affected his family. Those emotions or lack of them at times come across on screen. 

This movie is fast-paced and has a relatively short 92 minute run time. This helps prevent any moments from being wasted. The set-up has depth but doesn’t drag on and on and there aren’t any throwaway scenes to try and make this longer than it needed to be. Bob Odenkirk put a ton of time into training for the action sequences etc, in this film and that shows. Everything is very slick and coordinated. One thing that does bug me about action films of late is the overkill on dropping F-bombs or just profanity in general as if the writer only had about a 4-page dictionary to work with. This movie has those moments, but they are properly placed which actually gives richness to the script. We get serious tones where they are needed and comedic moments timed to perfection. 

Yeah – I do think this movie is funnier than the JOHN WICK series and that little touch of lightness makes it more enjoyable. We also like this character. Hutch is trying to do the right thing. He isn’t just a directionless drab of a man. We can see his struggles and his little victories as they happen with vivid unceasing clarity. 

This didn’t quite hit the 7 out of 7 mark for me, just because we’ve seen a lot of action flicks, but it is a 6 out of 7 for its heart, clever execution, and strong performances.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF 87 NORTH AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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