PLOT: After torching $30 million in Russian mob money, Hutch (Bob Odenkirk) has had to return to his violent ways in order to work off his debt. However, his busy schedule has kept him away from his family, so he decides to take them on a vacation to a theme park he loved as a child — only to discover it’s a way station for a criminal syndicate run by the psychotic Lendina (Sharon Stone).
REVIEW: Nobody 2 is exactly the movie its trailer promises — a hyper-violent take on National Lampoon’s Vacation. While embracing a lighter vibe than its predecessor, the movie is just as violent and action-packed as the last one, and serves as a tightly paced shot of adrenaline that’s guaranteed to please action fans. The first movie was one of the best action flicks of the last couple of years, and Odenkirk, despite having suffered a near-fatal heart attack in the intervening years, is once again in tip-top form and continues to be one of the best action heroes in the business.
A long-held pet peeve of mine is that action heroes, with the notable exception of Sylvester Stallone, often refused to take a licking on screen. Odenkirk is the opposite, with his Hutch Mansell getting viciously beaten through, with him scrapping his own to victory more thanks to intelligence and ruthlessness than pure brawn. Director Timo Tjahjanto proves to be an inspired choice to helm the sequel, with the movie embracing the kind of extreme, hyper-kinetic violence he’s known for in movies like The Shadow Strays, The Night Comes for Us, and many more.
The ninety-minute running time is packed to the gills with action sequences, including a bit set on a duck boat at an amusement park where Odenkirk pays homage to Jackie Chan, using props while trying desperately to avoid fighting. The premise is solid, with Hutch wanting to reconnect with his family, all of whom are now aware of his past as a killer thanks to the first movie. His wife, played by Connie Nielsen, gets more developed this time, with her own history teased out in some satisfying kick-ass sequences, while Hutch also worries his son, Brady (Gage Munroe), might be a chip off the old block, as he seems more and more proficient with his fists.
One of the best things about this franchise has always been the casting, with Odenkirk himself the most inspired choice as perhaps cinema’s most unlikely — but awesome — action hero, and he seems remarkably proficient with the choreography, while also giving the fights and shootouts a more ragged edge that suits the part. Hutch’s father (Christopher Lloyd) and brother (The RZA) also return, with Lloyd looking like he’s having a ball mowing down bad guys in the climax. The RZA actually gets one of the movie’s best action sequences, with him having a sword fight with 87North favorite Daniel Bernhardt.
Nobody 2 actually improves upon the original in one important way — it has better villains. There are two big ones, both cast brilliantly. Colin Hanks is cast way against type as a dirtbag deputy, hinting at a range he’s never been allowed to display before. Meanwhile, Sharon Stone owns the screen as the most evil character she’s played since Basic Instinct — the psychopathic Lendina, who gleefully orders the murder of dozens of civilians to prove a point, and plays well off of Connie Nielsen and Bob Odenkirk.
I really hope that Nobody 2 makes enough money to get us a third film, as I’ve really been enjoying Odenkirk’s run as an action hero. It helps that the films are always perfectly cast, and with the propulsive pace and fun-loving vibe, Nobody 2 is the perfect shot of adrenaline to put a button on the summer movie season.
