‘Nobody 2’ lazily celebrates violence

The perennially undervalued Bob Odenkirk finally got the cinematic starring role he deserved with 2021’s “Nobody.” The slick and entertaining action flick saw Odenkirk take his Saul Goodman charm and channel it towards one of the most fatherly roles since J.K. Simmons in “Juno.” Only this time, this dad kicks some serious butt. It likely caused a burst of inspiration for many dads around the country to get a little more fit.

Seeing something as bad as “Nobody 2” in 2025 made me question why I liked the original so much, especially when the DNA is nearly identical. Was it actually that good, or was I just so starved for movie star action vehicles during the pandemic that I lapped up any crumbs that were offered? Answering that question would require a rewatch, something I’m far less inclined to do now that this would-be franchise has imploded with its second step.

As part of the final showdown in the first film, Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk), a self-described nobody, burned the entire cash fortune of the Russian mafia he got violently tangled with. Doing so put Hutch in a seemingly never-ending debt that must be paid off by performing missions for a shadow organization that offered him and his family a new life.

Days turned into weeks, which then turned into months. Monotony starts to set in, with each member of the family drifting down separate paths. As a way to momentarily break this cycle and potentially motivate himself to leave this line of work, Hutch decides to take the family on a vacation to the same water park his dad took him to as a kid.

Advertisement

There’s an inverse relationship between how much you force yourself to have fun on a vacation and the amount you actually have. Just ask Clark Griswold and his perilous journey to Wally World. The same happens here in the Wisconsin town of Plummerville, with the ego-tripping cops and local crime syndicate putting too much of a squeeze on Hutch’s quick trigger of a temper. One thing leads to another, and he has to shoot and stab his way out of another sticky situation.

Creatively, there’s nothing here that wasn’t already covered in the first film. Hutch’s wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen), wants him to get out of the game and keep a cooler head. Despite his best efforts, he always makes things worse. Screenwriters Derek Kolstad and Aaron Rabin talk out of both sides of their mouths as they bemoan the cycle of violence, yet revel in the carnage.

The slighting of his daughter by a jerk at the arcade gives enough justification for us to cheer as Hutch destroys the building and assaults everyone inside. Kolstad is the brains behind the “John Wick” franchise, so this hypocrisy comes as no surprise. But as that franchise side-stepped that pitfall with absurdly ornate world-building and interesting characters, the “Nobody” films can only muster generic scenarios and even more generic villains.

Sharon Stone’s performance as crime boss Lendina ranges between bad, so bad it’s good, and embarrassingly bad. We know that she’s unhinged by how she sweet-talks her dog while ordering the slaughter of innocent people, and then later dances for no discernible reason. If you’re going to take inspiration from the Joker, don’t make it Jared Leto’s version of the Joker.

Advertisement

Director Timo Tjahjanto has helmed some of my favorite modern action films. Titles like “Headshot,” “The Night Comes for Us,” and last year’s “The Shadow Strays” are packed to the brim with extravagantly choreographed carnage delivered by Indonesian talent far more committed and capable than their American counterparts.

Odenkirk gives it his all, but his inherent physical limitations force Tjahjanto to hold back on his signature flair, staging set pieces that never eclipse being more than good enough.

At least Christopher Lloyd cranking a Gatling gun into hordes of faceless goons is quite a sight. Those isolated moments are few and far between, drowned under an ocean of moments just as basic as the cover versions of the songs that line up the soundtrack.

Universal Pictures will release “Nobody 2” in theaters nationwide on Aug. 15.

Eden Prairie resident Hunter Friesen is a film critic who owns and operates The Cinema Dispatch, a website where he writes reviews, essays, and more. He’s also the film critic for the Woodbury News Net. He currently serves as the president of the Minnesota Film Critics Association and travels the globe covering film festivals, both big and small. To view his entire body of work, you can visit his website and Instagram.