Nobody is a 2021 action thriller directed by Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) and written by Derek Kolstad. The film stars Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Aleksei Serebryakov, and Christopher Lloyd.
Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and overlooked dad and husband, taking life’s indignities on the chin and never pushing back. A nobody. When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch declines to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent serious violence. His wife and teenage son, disappointed in him, begin to see him as less of a man. Soon Hutch is pushed too far, and his dark past changes everything. Odenkirk and David Leitch are among the film's producers.
Nobody made its theatrical release in the United States on March 26th, 2021, from Universal Pictures.
THE GOOD
First things first, I am what you would call a John Wick “fanboy”, assuming that’s a thing. I couldn’t get enough of the John Wick films starring my guy Keanu Reeves, and I own all 3 on Blu-ray. Now when it was first announced that Hardcore Henry director Ilya Naishuller was teaming up with John Wick 1, 2, and 3 writer Derek Kolstad, I was intrigued. Add in legendary stunt coordinator/director/actor David Leitch (John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2) attached to the project as a producer, and my money was already on the table. This was going to be good.
And they did NOT disappoint. I will admit that the comparisons to John Wick made me feel like the bar was set a little too high coming out of the gate and that was definitely in the back of my mind for the first portion of the film, but that faded into the background pretty quick. Now it has a very similar shoot-em-up stylish action flick feel, but Nobody also carves out more of its own identity than I initially thought possible. Certain elements are perfectly intact, both John Wick and Hutch Mansell are guys you just don’t want to piss off. And just like the idiots in all 3 John Wick movies, someone always finds a way to initiate the chain reaction that ends with bodies, lots and lots of bodies.
The calling card for Nobody that sets it apart from John Wick is that it relies more on humor, very successfully I might add. Even though John Wick has some laughs, they are sort of on the back burner until the right time and are sprinkled throughout the films. In this movie, the humor is more or less always on the forefront, even during scenes where bullets are ripping through flesh. Lets just say the epic and energetic soundtrack helps it all make sense.
The acting is in a word, stellar. Bob Odenkirk, the man who gave life to our favorite Breaking Bad character Saul Goodman, fits this role like a glove. He finds a way to balance that fine line between suburban family man and ruthless killer effortlessly. Similar to Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Odenkirk has proven his ability to be funny and serious at the same time, its truly a gift. Bottom line, you will be rooting for him from start to finish I can guarantee you that. Connie Nielsen and Gage Monroe are also great and more than hold their own as the wife and son.
The only thing that even comes close to rivaling the Odenkirk casting decision is bringing in the ageless Christopher Lloyd as his father. I won’t give anything away, but you will be smiling ear to ear when he is on-screen. The other familiar face you will fall in love with is RZA, who sort of ends up being what Common was to Keanu Reeves in the John Wick movies, except he is always an ally. Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Lloyd, and RZA, just say that out loud a few times. Damn that is an absolutely dynamic trio. Aleksey Serebryakov takes on the role as the sociopath bad guy dumb enough to piss off a guy like Hutch Mansell, and you love to hate him. He doesn’t feel over the top or like he is trying to force anything which is huge.
The stunts are next level, and that’s how you can tell David Leitch had a hand in making sure the finished product was up to his standards. The camera work, the cinematography, the soundtrack, it all works together seamlessly to immerse viewers in what quickly becomes one heck of a wild ride. If you go back to a film like Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron and directed by Leitch, you will get a feel for how good he is at creating these long-running stunt heavy scenes without a single cut, and I wouldn’t be surprised if we were treated with some of that with Nobody, it can be hard to tell for sure though. Long story short, he makes people getting beat up or brutally murdered really fun to watch. I also thought that Ilya Naishuller did a great job behind the camera, and ensured the final product was top notch.
It really is hard to settle on what I liked most about the Nobody, but if I had to choose I might have to say it was the writing. The movie just has so many funny moments that come together in such an organic way. Whether it be a guy dying while Hutch is telling him a story, or someone locking a door 50 times after they realize who he is, the entire theater laughed out loud every single time and I thought that was quite an accomplishment. It was clear that more than anything else, the audience had a ton of fun with this movie and that is really all that matters if you ask me.
What is really cool about this movie, and to be honest I am sort of just now realizing it, is that it has so much more depth to the backstory than you initially realize. You are so busy being entertained for basically the entire hour and a half that you don’t really even have time to stop and appreciate everything else going on. Again I’m not going to spoil anything, but I feel like the many layers of this film need to be peeled back to reveal at least one, if not two more movies. Prequel maybe? The final sequence of the film is absolutely bananas and it honestly couldn’t have been better. Fingers crossed they do a sequel because I’m all in.
THE BAD
My issues with this Nobody are few and far between, I mean sure you could say that it’s a John Wick copycat, and in some ways I suppose it is, but its also from the guys who created John Wick. Plus, it’s over the top and unrealistic in many ways, but again, this is a movie and it is supposed to be entertaining at the end of the day. So yeah, to say the good outweighs the bad would be an understatement.
THE VERDICT
Similar to Bob Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell just begging bad guys to come after him, Nobody left me wanting more and it was easily the most fun I have had at the movie theater in a long time. I can’t remember the last time I laughed hysterically at such gratuitous violence, and boy was it glorious. It made me feel like a kid again, sure a kid with potentially sociopathic tendencies maybe, but still.
I realize that the majority of people have stayed away from movie theaters for obvious reasons, but I’m not even kidding when I say that Nobody is easily the movie well worth making it back. Just make sure you see this with a friend because the one-liners are aplenty. Oh, and stick around for the quick mid-credits scene as well, you can thank me later. I can’t wait to buy the 4K Blu-ray for the bonus features. Highly recommended.
TED TAKES RATING - 9/10
Nobody is now playing in theaters. Check out the trailer below.