Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) is your usual family guy. Two children, a loving wife (Connie Nielsen), and a mundane day-to-day job.
Until one night, armed robbers break into his house. Hutch’s hesitation to confront the criminals leads to his son’s, Blake (Gage Munroe), injury. Now, everyone thinks he's a failure.
On a secret radio in his office, Hutch phones his half-brother Harry (RZA) and explains that he held back because the burglars were desperate, afraid, and using an unloaded gun.
At home, his daughter, Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), asks for help in finding her misplaced kitty cat bracelet. Hutch suspects that the criminals may have taken them by accident. So he goes to see his father, David (Christopher Lloyd), to get his old FBI badge and revolver in order to track them down. He found them, but he instantly leaves after learning that they have a sick child.
Hutch was frustrated. He directed his rage onto some goons who were harassing a young girl on a bus. However, he soon discover that those thugs are members of a brutal Russian mafia.
“Nobody” feels like a hodgepodge of well-known clever action flicks. It borrows elements from films like "The Equalizer," "Taken," and "John Wick" by using their antagonist, protagonist, and plot to establish a story.
Although a lot of elements are unoriginal, the violence is its point of strength. The bus scene exemplifies everything great about Derek Kolstad and Ilya Naishuller’s partnership: clear, witty and heart pounding action. Though it might not be as visually appealing as "John Wick" it's entertaining to see a 60-year-old Odenkirk pull off his own trick.
Casting Odenkirk is just brilliant. The man typically does drama and comedy but in this film, he’s an action star and a legit one. As usual, his comedic timing is on-point. And he was able to use his ability to do drama to appear visibly tired and frustrated, which adds to the realism of the action. The inclusion of RZA and Lloyd provides a great back-up to this brilliance, as well.
“Nobody” is designed to be a blockbuster hit. Hence, it made no attempt to break the mold or subvert the genre. Which is a little disappointing in hindsight since it offers a compelling look on topics such as hypermasculinity.
Writing, on the other hand, is a weakness. After establishing Hutch's background and personality, it quickly jumps to action. Leaving behind everyone’s persona undeveloped. The 92 minutes fly by like a rushing bus, escalating and hyping one event after another, leaving no room for story development. Writer Derek Kolstad could’ve done better.
Compared to its peers “Nobody” is still a nobody. It is a nice popcorn film though since Naishuller really doubles down on the insanity on that third act. The choreography is good and the cast did their best. But it could’ve been better if Kolstad wrote it differently than usual.
3/5
"Nobody" is available on Upstream