PREMISE
Suburban dad Hutch Mansell, a former lethal assassin, is pulled back into his violent past after thwarting a home invasion, setting off a chain of events that unravels secrets about his wife Becca’s past and his own.
THE GOOD STUFF
BOB– The funny thing about Bob Odenkirk’s performance as this character in both movies is that when it comes to the family stuff, you can tell that he’s zeroed in and wants to make it as emotionally poignant as possible. And when it comes to the action sequences, there is almost a sedentary emotional expression while performing all of these chaotic action scenes. And the movies are better for that.
Odenkirk never gives off the impression that his character is a badass. This is not Jason Bourne, this is not John Wick…. This character, Hutch Mansell, is at work. He is doing a job. And that level of stoicism is in and of itself badass. If this role were played in a flashy way, the movie would quite simply not work, and it wouldn’t be funny.
ACTION– There’s a boat scene towards the end of the first act of this movie that clearly wants to emulate the magic that was the bus sequence from the previous film. There is a little bit too much implausibility with this boat sequence for it to reach that level. However, the action remains largely unchanged, and most importantly, the comedy remains the same. Even when the story doesn’t give you much to go off of, there is a very Looney Tunes kind of feel through all of the graphic violence that’s going on on screen. This is especially true with the finale sequence, which essentially gives the HOME ALONE treatment to an entire amusement park, with both hilarious and brutal results.
SHARON STONE– It really is a pleasure to see Sharon Stone hamming it up to level 10 and having fun with such a silly role in such a ridiculous movie. She is every cheesy, hyper-violent ’80s villain that you’ve ever seen in any Schwarzenegger film, turned up to the max… except a woman. The key issue I had with the first nobody film was the fact that when we cut away from the Mansell family. We started highlighting the bad guys a little more; that’s when the movie lost its interest. It is an inspired choice to select Stone as this zany and ravingly psychotic character to keep things entertaining.
THE BAD STUFF
THIS COLIN HANKS PERFORMANCE– I really like Colin Hanks, I swear. However, I’m unsure what this is. He’s just mean muggin up a storm… and he just ain’t got the gusto for it. He just… looks like a very nice dude, and when he tries to be the hardass… it is unexpectedly comedic and I know it didn’t mean to be. Stone is the only one having fun when it comes to all the other villains.
THE UGLY STUFF
THE WORLD BUILDING– These nobody films kind of fit into the same bubble as a John Wick or a Jason Bourne of course. Like those films, it has done a pretty exceptional job of making its action style very singular. However, unlike those films, the sequel doesn’t offer any further insight into who this character was. We know he’s badass because of what happens in the first film, but in that first film, this character is practically described as the merchant of death itself. In that first film, we get more of the family angle with both Christopher Lloyd and the RZA (What a trio this is, by the way). In that film, we see what happens when really intimidating-looking individuals see the tattoo of the cards on Hutch’s wrist, and their demeanor goes from condescending to fearful.
There was a lot to dig into when it came to building a world for this, and it just didn’t happen. The events of this movie play out as something that just happens to these characters. And that’s fine, and it makes for the comedy to come out a little bit more, but man, this left a lot of meat on the bone. A lot.
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Nobody 2 is the kind of film that you need if you are an action junkie and you’re tired of the glossiness that a superhero movie provides. Not to say that this is a gritty action movie, but it is wildly over-the-top and funny. It hits the spot in the same way that a Snickers bar does. It curbs your hunger for R-rated violence, and it satisfies ultimately.Â
It’s currently playing in theaters.
