Review: In Nobody, Bob Odenkirk Becomes a Lethal Vigilante Going After a Russian Mob

Incredible 6 years have passed since the premiere of Hardcore Henry. Director Ilya Naishuller has been working on music videos and some short projects since then, but he has finally made his second film now. Nobody is based on a screenplay by Derek Kolstad, the screenwriter of John Wick's films, meaning that you can expect a similar movie. Properly shot action movie with a likeable protagonist, a lot of dead bodies, and amazing shots that will bring out the "little violent-scene loving kid" in you.

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) in the main role, as an elderly man in a stereotypical phase of his life, takes care of his family, nothing exciting going on, except boring conversations and work. The viewer gets acquainted with his life in a great opening scene that efficiently introduces the story, depicting Hutch in mundane everyday situations.

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His life changes when his house is raided by robbers. Him and his son can easily beat them, but he hesitates at the last moment, and lets them go instead. However, something inside of him switches. The viewer gradually recognizes that he is an extremely capable and talented killer in retirement, who really misses murder.

You could even say that it fulfils him, so he's genuinely pleased when rowdy drunk boys get on the bus. Hutch confronts five of them and sends them to the hospital. One of them is a brother of a large Russian mobster, demanding revenge. You can imagine the rest.

You will see two short and compelling scenes at the beginning, but the sequence on the bus is the one that sets the action component of the film in motion. Admirable camera-work and excellent combat choreography result in one of the most memorable action combat scenes in the recent years. We could generally say that it's the best action since the John Wick days.

Bob Odenkirk has trained two years before the filming began, and it's visible. He has significantly adjusted his body and prepared himself to shoot all of the action scenes. Most of them are brutal, but all come across as very well thought out. Let's go back to the brilliant bus scene. Hutch confronts five people and you can see seats, poles, teeth, blood, you name it... fly all over the place. All hits look authentic and the viewer can actually feel their weight, which doesn't happen in action movies that often anymore.

The second big action scene is the commando's attack on Hutch's house. Director Ilya Naishuller revealed that they only had thirteen hours to shoot it (usually such scenes are filmed for multiple days), but this definitely doesn't reflect on the result. Bob Odenkirk is a great actor, so he can playfully sell the feelings and psychological state of the character. Thanks to the training, he also managed to perform demanding stunts, thus the action comes across as believable. 

This is the case until the final scene comes along. At first, the film tries to keep it low-key, and even when Hutch defeats five opponents at once, you believe it's possible. In the end, however, he kills more than fifty Russians in the factory with the help of his two companions, and although it looks cool and effective, the film kinda loses tension and atmosphere. All those Russian mobsters come across like stormtroopers that can't hit the target, even if they aim at it from a one-meter distance.

Compared to the previous action sequences, the final scene looks unnecessarily exaggerated. In action, more is often more, but in this case it was a bit damaging to the film. However, the previous action scenes are excellent, so we can forgive the creators.

Hutch's family, which more or less only serves as backdrop, is also a bit disappointing. The film would work in exactly the same way if Hutch didn't have a family at all, which is a sign that the members weren't incorporated into the story very well. They gently help the viewer understand Hutch's mood, but we could also find out in another way. The main villain and his Russian mafia are also quite cliché. We could say that apart from Hutch, there's no other interesting character in the film, but this was also the case with John Wick back in the days.

Ultimately, Nobody is an excellent action movie with cliché storylines and characters. The film is amazing, especially with Bob Odenkirk's Hutch on the screen. There's two excellent action passages and thanks to an hour and a half long footage, you won't get bored even during the few weaker scenes. It is definitely an above-average film, which, however, benefits exclusively from the action and the great lead actor.

If you expect more than just action and amazing main character, take one point off. On the contrary, if a great action movie with a few cool scenes is all you were hoping for, add another point. It's seven and a half out of ten for us. You can watch the movie on Amazon or wait until it hits our cinemas.