THE STORY – Workaholic assassin Hutch Mansell takes his family on a much-needed vacation to the small tourist town of Plummerville. However, he soon finds himself in the crosshairs of a corrupt theme-park operator, a shady sheriff, and a bloodthirsty crime boss.
THE CAST – Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, John Ortiz, RZA, Colin Hanks, Christopher Lloyd, Gage Munroe, Paisley Cadorath & Sharon Stone
THE TEAM – Timo Tjahjanto (Director), Derek Kolstad & Aaron Rabin (Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 89 Minutes
Next to “Atomic Blonde,” Ilya Naishuller’s “Nobody” remains one of the best “John Wick” imitators to emerge since Hollywood began chasing the magic Keanu Reeves brought to modern American action filmmaking. For many, “Nobody” feels like a faint memory, released in the first post-pandemic year and making a modest but favorable return. Compared to other box office disappointments in 2021, it stood out as a small but notable hit, giving Bob Odenkirk the chance to shed his long-running persona as a scheming lawyer and reinvent himself as an everyman action hero.
With “Nobody 2,” we get one of those rare sequels that feels like an upgrade thanks to director Timo Tjahjanto, fresh off last year’s Netflix action flick, “The Shadow Strays,” bringing his distinct brand of bloody, bone-crunching spectacle to Odenkirk’s world. The sequel does not stray far from what made the original work, but Tjahjanto sprinkles in a series of gruesomely enjoyable set pieces that keep the punches landing.
When we last saw family man and part-time assassin Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk), he had returned to “the workforce.” Now, consumed by workaholic tendencies, he is neglecting the more important things in life. His wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen), eats dinner alone most nights, while his son begins to mirror his worst traits. In an attempt to fix things, Hutch plans a family vacation, but naturally, it does not go as planned. Soon, he is drawn back into the fray, squaring off against crooked Sheriff Abel (Colin Hanks) and another elaborate criminal operation he stumbles into.
Derek Kolstad and Aaron Rabin’s screenplay largely follows the same structure as the first film, making “Nobody 2” feel at times like a rinse-and-repeat. Where it differs is in tone. Tjahjanto leans into over-the-top ’80s action-movie excess. The finale unfolds in a theme-park setting, Sharon Stone hams it up as a cartoonishly one-note villain, and the whole thing has the vibe of something Jim Belushi might have starred in back in the day.
Odenkirk remains the franchise’s greatest asset. He has not lost a step, and every punch, kick, and grimace lands with believable grit. His pairing with Tjahjanto feels unexpectedly perfect, and the director makes sure returning faces like Christopher Lloyd’s Grandpa David and RZA’s Harry get moments to shine and kill. Nielsen also gets more to do this time, as her relationship with Hutch takes on greater importance.
Tjahjanto’s skill at staging action is not dulled by the generic script. He finds creative ways to use environments to their fullest. One standout scene sees Hutch storming back into an arcade to unleash fury on a group who wronged his kids. Still, the family drama feels less fresh and underdeveloped, and Stone’s Lendina never rises above being a hollow adversary. In fact, Hanks’ crooked sheriff feels more in tune with the film’s tonal shift and might have made for a stronger primary villain.
In the end, it is hard to begrudge a sequel this formulaic when it is almost as charming as the first and keeps Odenkirk’s action-star ambitions alive. Watching him dismantle goons while RZA slices through enemies with a katana is plenty of fun in the moment, even if it does not linger. For me, “Nobody 2” closes the chapter on wanting more from the Mansell family, though I would not say no to Tjahjanto bringing his touch to a sequel for “The Beekeeper” instead.
