Nobody 2 Movie Review

I was glad to see that Bob Odenkirk’s everyman, Hutch Mansell, acts more like his father, David, every day. His father is again played by Christopher Lloyd. ​

And I’m sure Hutch is proud that his son, Brady (Gage Munroe), is following his lead. To recap, Hutch was a government “auditor” or assassin for the CIA. In the first film, he made some Russians angry after burning an excruciatingly huge pile of their cash, and is working off his debt to “The Barber,” played by the not-seen-enough Colin Salmon.

The director of part 2, and I hope there are more to come, is martial arts and horror film director Timo Tjahjanto. He knows blood and action, and here he goes all in to get our attention. The fights are choreographed extremely well, very tight, never giving your eyes a rest.

For the script, we have John Wick writer Derek Kolstad returning, with Aaron Rabin from Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan. Looking for action? It’s here in abundance, even though the purpose of their writing this was to give Hutch a much-needed break. He might need it, but as The Barber reminds him, he can take time away from trouble, but it will always find him. It’s in his blood, and they will see each other. Even if he’s right, Hutch needs to make up some time with his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen), and the kids, so he books a trip to an old theme park. Not Becca’s first choice, but she’s pressed and agrees to go since Hutch and his brother Harry used to go there when they were kids. Tjahjanto marries the action and comedy well, and the location lends to this perfectly. You won’t be disappointed with the fun in Plummerville.

Trouble does locate Hutch through ruthless “boss” Lendina, played by Sharon Stone. She gets a chance to go back to her Basic Instinct days, and we benefit from her decision to play this role, a nasty one that she performs beautifully. Lendina doesn’t appreciate what has been done to her town, the one through which all her businesses operate, and will burn heaven and earth to make Hutch pay for the mistake of underestimating her. Her character is underutilized, but is the appropriate amount of bitch for the audience to value. You’re given enough of her to want more, and when she’s teamed up with one particular character, you’ll feel the loss even more.

RZA, playing Harry, enters the fight swinging a Katana Samurai sword against a proficient Daniel Bernhardt. The scene is exquisite. All the returning and the new characters work. It packs a lot into a movie that’s less than two hours, the standard length these days. I liked the length, but if it had reached the two-hour mark, those who deserved more time would have had it to make a bigger impact. Or just been on the screen more for us to slobber over. Stone made a worthy opponent; Harry was able to make a difference, and Colin Hank’s sheriff was palatable. However, if any of them had been given more time, I would have walked away happier, as Hutch tries to do on occasion, but simply can’t.

The script is as fun, if not more enjoyable, than the first. That’s for you to decide. You have to watch this, right now! What are you waiting for?? The score is unbelievably good, and Van Gogh makes an appearance, as he should have. This was damn good entertainment.