Few would have seen Bob Odenkirk as an action star, but he came off surprisingly well in Nobody, a fast and seriously entertaining piece of pulp from 2021. In Nobody 2, he's back as the workaholic and ferocious killer Hutch Mansell, determined to salvage his marriage to Becca (Connie Nielsen) by taking a vacation.
Hutch tried to get out of the business in the first entry, but wound up destroying $30 million in loot he now has to repay, hit by hit. Memories of a childhood visit to Plummerville with his dad David (a game and funny Christopher Lloyd) inspire him to return there with Becca and his kids Brady (Gage Munroe) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath).
Trouble starts almost immediately at Wild Bill's Majestic Midway and Waterpark when bullies pick a fight with Brady and an arcade security guard slaps Sammy. Destroying that guard and several arcade machines brings Hutch before Sheriff Abel (Colin Hanks) and theme park owner Wyatt Martin (John Ortiz). They order him out of town.
Sheriff Abel hires goons to back up his threats, leading to a prolonged fight on a "duck boat" ride. Meanwhile, Wyatt finds himself blackmailed by mob boss Lendina (Sharon Stone), first seen murdering an entire casino after a worker is found cheating.
Turns out Plummerville is headquarters for Lendina's money-laundering, gun-running, biohazard-dealing empire, one that Hutch is warned repeatedly by his handlers not to disrupt. He tries to broker a truce with Abel, which fails when Hutch decides to rescue Wyatt's kidnapped son instead.
The final confrontation takes place at the theme park, where Hutch is joined by his dad, his brother Harry (RZA), and Wyatt, who gleefully booby-traps his rides. The kids and Becca also step up to help Hutch.
The plot resembles lurid old melodramas about small towns ruled by corrupt cops—only played for laughs. Director Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) takes the time to refer back to those potboilers and to Westerns as well. Watch how Hutch slides a drink across a table to Wyatt, or how he walks down the theme park main street for a showdown with Abel.
But mostly Nobody 2 is an exercise in 87North filmmaking. Ever since John Wick and Atomic Blonde, 87North has set a high standard for action films. Producers David Leitch and Kelly McCormick have found a way to combine unlikely actors with exceptional stunts in vehicles that focus on comedy as much as action.
Returning from Nobody are stunt designer and coordinator Greg Rementer and fight choreographer Kirk Jenkins (along with stunt coordinator Kyle McLean, they all worked on Bullet Train). Their work here has a giddy energy that can be dazzling.
In true 87North style, everyday objects—a phone, a life vest—become deadly weapons. The stunts, at times involving a half-dozen performers, are complicated and nonstop. They look so effective on screen due in part to Nobody 2's secret weapon, editor Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir.
Derek Kolstad, who worked on Wick, wrote the script with Aaron Rabin. That may account for some extravagant flourishes in the latter half of the story, but Nobody 2 remains refreshingly grounded in beatings and the pain they induce.
With his gravelly voice and look of disbelief, Odenkirk is a perfect Nobody. Let's hope he's up for another sequel.
The film opens Friday, August 15, only in movie theaters. For locations and showtimes, visit the official Canada site or the official US site.