87North Productions has been the go-to for that type of action Millennials grew up on while keeping it authentic and innovative. The studio has a strong filmography with the John Wick series, Love Hurts, and Kate. Many actors looking to punch, shoot, chase, and blow s**t up their way to big box officer recognition always find their way to the studio. Bob Odenkirk is no exception, as the actor did so with 2021’s Nobody. Hoping to continue his success with 87North Productions, the actor returns for Nobody 2 with director Timo Tjahjanto and turns the sequel into a cross between a John Wick and National Lampoon’s Vacation.
The result is a combination of action and family comedy that succeeds in distracting filmgoers from noticing that the movie is just an 89-minute trailer all style and no substance.
Nobody 2 brings back Odenkirk and his bloody knuckles to fill up all of the body bags. Tjahjanto gets behind the lens to lend his acquired skills as an action director to tell the story written by Derek Kolstad and Aaron Rabin. This time around, Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) decides to take a break from his full-time assassin job to take his family out for a vacation at the water theme park, Plummerville. However, wherever Hutch goes, trouble follows.
The main selling point of Nobody 2 is the action set pieces directed by Tjahjanto, and there are plenty. The filmmaker behind Headshot and The Night Comes for Us has a talent for drawing the audience into the action for maximum impact. He doesn’t hold back for Nobody 2. Many of the big shootouts and fist fights unfold stylishly while allowing me to grasp the scene entirely. There were several moments where Odenkirk’s method of dispatching was fun, inventive, and just plain cool.
The one that comes to mind include Mansell on a duck boat and trying to stay onboard. It’s a close-quarter setting that brought me to engage with the scene entirely. The scene was able to carry a level of comedy that meshed well with the brutal nature of the fight. In addition, Tjahjanto brings that level of wild action to a deserved bullet and explosion-filled crescendo that’s pretty much Home Alone in a theme park. That’s the good stuff…now for the bad.
The plot for Nobody 2 is incredibly thin, with story beats that are set up but never really paid off. The movie starts with Hutch struggling to juggle his assassin life with his family life. There are points in the first act where the character’s marriage to Becca (Connie Nielsen) is on the brink of falling apart. It’s a relatable topic that could’ve added some emotional stakes to the physical ones. Yet, it is handled poorly within the scene.
Along with the wafer-thin script is the fact that I really didn’t get any sense that any of the main characters were in danger. Sure, the baddies came off as threatening and all that, but the movie plays out in a predictable manner that drains much of the fun from Nobody 2. Furthermore, the acting doesn’t pan out for the movie as well.
The Nobody films aren’t meant to be anything grand when it comes to acting. These movies are created to draw audiences in with as many bullet fights and bangs as possible. However, most of the actors—except for two—should’ve been able to pull their weight. I’ve been following Odenkirk’s career since he starred alongside David Cross on Mr. Show with Bob and David. The actor showed that he carries and steals scenes with critical acclaim in shows like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. What’s he doing in his movie? I don’t f**king know.
Odenkirk had a habit of saying a lot of “uumm” and looking down whenever the moments were his. It was a real step down from his previous work and was baffling to watch. The only people who knew what kind of movie they were in were Sharon Stone, the villain, and Christoper Llyod as Grandpa Mansell. The two leaned into the silliness of the film and were the standouts of the cast.
Nobody 2 is a bigger-budget action movie that looks the part on the screen. There were parts of the film that felt like a Universal Studios theme park ride and were worth watching. The film started on a promising note with its themes of family and living a dangerous life, but ultimately failed. Nobody 2 is nothing more than a pure shoot ‘em and fist-flying action flick. If that’s your thing, then you’re in the place.