There’s no way to recreate the novelty of seeing comedy veteran and “Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk become an action hero for the first time in 2021’s “Nobody,” so I was relieved that sequel “Nobody 2” doesn’t even make the attempt.
As the movie begins, everyone in his life knows that seemingly mild-mannered suburban husband and father Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) is actually a highly trained assassin, and anyone he meets later in the movie learns the truth very quickly. That leaves “Nobody 2” as a slightly different kind of movie than its predecessor, but director Timo Tjahjanto and returning screenwriter Derek Kolstad maintain the playful tone of the original.
Both movies are more concerned with thrilling set pieces than with intricate plotting or substantial character development, and “Nobody 2” takes only as much time as necessary setting up the story and central relationships.
The real appeal is seeing Hutch deliver beatdowns to squadrons of goons who underestimate him, and “Nobody 2” doesn’t make viewers wait long before he’s taking on the criminal enterprise based in a low-rent riverside vacation town.
‘Nobody 2’ is a fast-paced thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously
Following the end of the first movie, the previously retired Hutch has returned to his former profession in order to pay off massive debts incurred during his last revenge mission. “Nobody 2” opens with an efficient montage establishing the new normal for the Mansell family, as Hutch barely sees his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) or his kids Brady (Gage Munroe) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath) because he’s too busy killing people.
That allows Tjahjanto to get right to the action while also filling in the audience on what the characters have been up to.
Finally, Hutch decides that he needs to reconnect with his family, and he demands time off from his handler (Colin Salmon). His mistake is choosing to vacation in Plummerville, the ostensibly sleepy little town where his own father David (Christopher Lloyd) took him and his brother Harry (RZA) when they were kids.
Of course fellow covert agent David would have taken his kids to a key smuggling outpost, where the tourist attractions provide cover for illicit operations.
It’s a silly premise that only gets sillier when Hutch inadvertently attracts the attention of the local crime bosses, including a corrupt sheriff (Colin Hanks) and the resort’s conflicted owner (John Ortiz).
It doesn’t take much to get on their bad side, and Kolstad and co-writer Aaron Rabin provide the bare minimum of backstory needed to pit Hutch against an increasingly aggressive criminal enterprise.
The action is the real star of ‘Nobody 2’
Indonesian director Tjahjanto is best known for the Netflix original action movies “The Night Comes for Us” and “The Shadow Strays,” and he brings his sense of kinetic, brutal action to his first American feature film. There’s a close-quarters fight on a tour boat that recalls the contained action of the first movie’s bus battle, and the finale takes place in an extensively booby-trapper amusement park, with lots of creative ways to dispatch assailants.
Odenkirk is still impressively fit, but Hutch relies on more than just strength, finding ingenious ways to neutralize his opponents while minimizing his own risk of injury or death.
Odenkirk is still impressively fit, but Hutch relies on more than just strength, finding ingenious ways to neutralize his opponents while minimizing his own risk of injury or death.
He also has more memorable adversaries this time around, with Hanks playing against his nice-guy image as a sadistic petty tyrant, and Sharon Stone making the most of her relatively minimal screen time as the mastermind behind the action, whom Hutch’s handler claims is even more dangerous than the Russian mobsters he fought in the first movie.
Stone’s Lendina is gleefully murderous in a way that seems counterproductive to her business empire, but makes for entertaining moments as she grows angrier about Hutch messing with her plans.
There’s not as much at stake this time, since Hutch isn’t living a secret life anymore, and it’s not a big reveal when David and Henry join him to take down the bad guys. That also means that the rest of the family gets to join in the action, and although Hutch repeatedly complains about his vacation being ruined, all the carnage seems like the perfect bonding opportunity for the Mansells.
There’s a genuine sense of family togetherness that comes through amid the nonstop action.
‘Nobody 2’ is a simple but satisfying sequel
“Nobody 2” is the opposite of the later “John Wick” movies from writer Kolstad and producer David Leitch, which get more bloated and serious as the franchise goes along.
“Nobody 2” clocks in at under 90 minutes, and there’s no expanded mythology for Hutch’s enemies and associates. Tjahjanto knows exactly what he’s expected to deliver, and he makes “Nobody 2” just as ridiculously violent — and violently ridiculous — as it should be.
“Nobody 2” opens August 15 in theaters.