Nobody 2

Nobody 2 hits instant replay on its 2021 predecessor. The original had the benefit of its fresh concept, where an Average Joe family man, stifled by the drudgery of his domestic prison, reveals his secret when pushed: he’s a former government assassin—and an unstoppable one at that. Hutch, played by Bob Odenkirk, demonstrates as much when he takes out an onslaught of Russian bad guys almost single-handedly in Nobody. It’s no small task for this seemingly mild-mannered everyman, and part of what made watching him so exciting is how he defies expectations, peeling away his defeated dad mask to reveal a shoot-’em-up hero. The sequel follows a nearly identical trajectory, save for a few particulars. Once again, Hutch finds himself caught in a tiresome routine, except instead of reporting each day to his soul-crushing career as an accountant, he must carry out covert missions to repay his debts to the criminal underworld. His family has grown accustomed to their unreliable husband and father, who never makes it home for dinner, until he suggests they take a vacation to “make memories” with some much-needed family time. But inevitably, Hutch cannot escape his other life, and another bloodbath ensues. 

Written by John Wick series creator Derek Kolstad and Aaron Rabin, Nobody 2 has a case of sequelitis that may not be forgivable for some. Like sequels in Die Hard and other action franchises, here’s a movie that wonders, How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice? However, there’s a winking sense of humor behind the action sequences, directed with kineticism by Indonesian action and horror maestro Timo Tjahjanto. They’re visceral and high-impact, just like in the first one. Along with cinematographer Callan Green, the filmmaker knows where to place the camera, resulting in frenzied sequences that never resort to incoherence to create energy. Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir, no stranger to action, edits without butchering the footage, leaving the fights and gunplay clear, compelling, and accented with playful music and needle drops. All the while, the talent behind and in front of the camera maintains a cheeky edge, not quite descending into pure irony, but allowing the audience to laugh and cringe, often within the same scenes. 

In the sequel, Hutch behaves like Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) from National Lampoon’s Vacation movie series. He’s an earnest father determined to give his family a classic vacation to a beloved water park, called Plummerville, the resident Wally World he visited as a child. If you think “Plummer” is a little too close to “Plumber” and doesn’t evoke the cleanest-sounding environment for water rides, you’re not wrong. Not long after arriving, they discover an incident in the dingy park has resulted in the closure of waterslides and pools. Forced to a local hotdog joint and then an arcade, Hutch, his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), their teen son Brady (Gage Munroe), and daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath) encounter some aggressive local goons. A fight breaks out, pitting Hutch against corrupt officials (Colin Hanks, John Ortiz) who work for a warped crime lord played by Sharon Stone. Playing a movie villain, Stone appears to be enjoying herself, delivering an intentionally campy, over-the-top performance that belongs in the same conversation as Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man (1993). She swears, she dances, she kills without hesitation. 

Replace Nobody’s cramped bus fight with a similar encounter on a boat, and the finale’s booby-trapped warehouse shootout with an explosive ambush at the water park, and Nobody 2 begins to look like an identical twin in a Hawaiian shirt. Yet, the cast and material prove so likable that the sameness between the two features hardly matters. I liked the endearing relationship between Hutch and Becca, who, in the first few minutes, seem like they might split after he misses yet another dinner. RZA and Christopher Lloyd also show up for a few laughs and thrills. The short runtime helps. At just over 80 minutes, not including credits, the sequel never overstays its welcome or gives the viewer time to overthink its close resemblance to the first movie’s template. Even 10-15 minutes more, and the movie would have started to drag. Nobody 2 doesn’t go the usual Hollywood sequel route of, say, the John Wick sequels, where the mythology becomes so elaborate and convoluted—with a bloated runtime to match—that it begins to lose its sense of joy. Like Hutch, the movie is lean and mean, modest in size yet ferocious. 

Odenkirk, too, proves unbeatable. The former writer and comedian from Saturday Night Live and HBO’s Mr. Show has gradually transitioned into dramatic roles, most notably on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, and is now an unlikely action movie star in his late 50s and early 60s. What’s more, he survived a heart attack in 2021, just a few months after Nobody debuted. But that didn’t deter or even slow him down, as evidenced here. Maybe like Hutch, Odenkirk is a workaholic. After all, Hutch yearns to shut off his violent side, but he’s helpless against his trained combat response. It has tested his family life and caused him no end of trouble, yet Hutch cannot help himself, even when he’s determined to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations. Violence is an addiction for Hutch, not that Nobody 2 has anything significant to say about finding a work-life balance, or about the downfalls of solving problems with violence. It’s enough that Odenkirk is an incredibly charismatic leading man, and he headlines another dose of the same. No, it’s not original. But it’s capably made, populated with charming actors giving good performances, and a lot of fun. However, if they make a Nobody 3, the format may require some new ideas.