Synopsis:
Sometimes, the man you don’t notice is the most dangerous of all. Emmy winner BOB ODENKIRK (Better Call Saul, The Post, Nebraska) stars as Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life’s indignities on the chin and never pushing back. A nobody.
Never judge a book by its cover. As cliché as that saying is, it remains true. You never know what someone is capable of, hell, we barely know what our own selves are capable of doing. The biggest person could be the fastest, the smallest could be the strongest, and the dropout could be the smartest; you just never know. But what I can be sure of is that we’ve all experienced it in one way or another. I’ve been misjudged my entire life, for reasons I’m sure you can deduct. For example, people see my beard and assume that there’s a head full of hair underneath my hats, but you’d be mistaken. But seriously, never underestimate yourself, the power of togetherness, pineapple on pizza, and never underestimate a nobody.
“Fun fact: Bone burns at 1500 degrees, and this basement is designed to double that…”
Suburban dads everywhere rejoice, that guy you have beef with may now think twice before he tries to knock your top off. Nobody is a bare-knuckles and bullets thrill-ride wrapped in bloody khakis and dad shoes. John Wick (John Wick), Robert McCall (The Equalizer), Bryan Mills (Taken), and Paul Kersey (Death Wish) now have a new golf buddy with a scary basement in Hutch Mansell. This action-packed thriller is sure to delight and surprise fans of Saul Goodman. You might ask, why, Dom? Because Bob Odenkirk is officially a badass. Playing the Everyman role, Odenkirk’s character is the last person you’d expect to see kicking ass and taking names but that’s exactly why it works so well. When we see people like Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, or Tom Cruise, we know what kind of action we are going to get and essentially what it’s going to look like. Even while highly entertaining, a certain level of surprise no longer exists when they punch through a wall or jump out of a building. But when you see a non-brolic, reserved family man busting guns and cracking skulls, you can’t help but get excited.
The film is filled with fantastic music and great camerawork that results in really amazing shots and scenes. Not to mention, the fight choreography and creative kills put the film in the same conversations as the John Wick franchise, especially when they’re performed in barbecue couture. Moreover, the writing is what really transforms Hutch from a mild-mannered pushover, into a cerebral assassin. Nobody is a fun, highly entertaining film, and with its curious backstory, I hope they’re able to make another. Its rewatchability is high. Oh, and there’s a mid-credit scene.
Plot & Pace
Hutch Mansell is living a rinse and repeat life that has him on autopilot. Seemingly just your average suburban dad and husband, every day is the same routine with no change in sight. He exercises early in the morning, cooks breakfast for his family, goes to work then comes home, and constantly forgets trash pickup day. He also doesn’t have the warmest relationship with his wife. What respect Hutch does have with his family is now fleeting as he fails to protect the house from a home invasion that he interrupted. He disappoints not only his family but catches flack from all sides, including a police officer. However, Hutch has his reasons as to why he didn’t beat down the criminals that illegally entered his home. But once he finds out that the thieves may have stolen his daughter’s bracelet, it awakens something in him that has been lying dormant for years. While returning back from his retrieval, he encounters a group of men harassing a young lady and he decides to confront them. The confrontation puts him in the crosshairs of a violent criminal organization that wants him dead. Everything has changed, and it’s now kill or be killed, and Hutch is more prepared than anyone knew.
This film progresses like calming swatting a wasp only to turn around to see that hundreds of wasps are ready to sting you into oblivion. It escalates rather quickly.
Characters & Chemistry
If you told me that one day that I would see Bobby Digital, Saul, and Doc Brown standing back to back with guns drawn, there’s no way I would believe you. The trio makes a great and very interesting team. Bob Odenkirk really outdid himself as Hutch, this is a performance that I never saw coming. RZA and Christopher Llyod as Harry and David Mansell are pleasant surprises that add the right amount of absurdity to make this film stand out. And Aleksey Serebryakov as Yulian is the perfect kind of crazy, over-the-top villain this story needed.
Nobody releases in theaters on March 26th, 2021. Stay safe and enjoy.
Director: Ilya Naishuller
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Producers: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Braden Aftergood, Bob Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero
Executive Producers: Derek Kolstad, Marc S. Fischer, Tobey Maguire
Rated: R
Runtime: 1h 32m
Rating: 4 out of 5
Senior Critic. Observing the human race since 1988.
