Nobody is the latest film in the one-man-army genre of action films popularized by flicks like Taken and John Wick. The film Nobody, stars Bob Odenkirk in the role of an everyday office-worker named Hutch, who becomes the target of a Russian mobster after nearly killing the latter’s brother.
Nobody follows a standard action movie formula of an American family-man brutally slaughtering criminals. However, Nobody has elements that elevate this generic action formula—namely, its performances and choreography.
The main draw of Nobody is definitely Bob Odenkirk’s performance as Hutch (the titular “Nobody”), and he does not disappoint. Odenkirk is perfect in this role. He’s funny, charming, and he has the family-man charisma of someone like Mel Gibson.
The supporting actors also give good performances. RZA (of Wu-Tang Clan fame) plays Hutch’s half-brother, and Christopher Lloyd is great as Hutch’s veteran father.
However, the real standout (besides Odenkirk) is Aleksei Serebryakov who plays the main antagonist: a psychopathic, Russian, mob boss named Yulian. Yulian is a great, entertaining villain. He’s introduced by drunkenly singing a duet with a woman and he spends the rest of the film brutally murdering or assaulting people.
As an action movie, Nobody definitely takes notes from films like Taken and The Patriot. Fights are focused on the spectacle and excitement of a one-man army, and the violence is meant to be enjoyed as a likable character inflicts horrific violence on criminal victims (human traffickers, mobsters, etc.).
Like Taken and The Patriot, kills are as messy as possible with the camera giving focus to each and every bloody injury. Time and time again, Hutch is bruised and bloody, but he gets up each time.
While the editing of these action scenes were often too choppy for my liking, most of the camerawork ranges from decent to great. There’s plenty of great montages throughout the film such as the scene wherein Hutch slaughters Russian mobsters in a nightclub spliced with shots of Yulian lip-syncing to Andy Williams’s rendition of “The Impossible Dream”.
The nightclub scene is one of the many scenes in the film that makes good use of music. Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me be Misunderstood” is tastefully used in the film’s opening and climax, and Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker” fuels an adrenaline-rushed car chase.
While I generally prefer the more stunt-focused action of films like Police Story or Mission Impossible, there is something cathartic about these ultra-violent, bloody, action movies like Nobody.
What I really appreciate about this movie is how honest and straightforward it is. There’s dark humor, but it’s nothing like the meta, tongue-in-cheek, slop, infecting many of today’s action movies (Nicolas Cage’s Willy’s Wonderland from earlier this year comes to mind).
There’s no pretentious commentary on how Hutch’s violence affects him or his family. He’s simply portrayed as a man who will do what must to protect his family. Some might find this bland, but I found it to be refreshing.
Nobody is little more than a male power fantasy, but nevertheless, it is a very enjoyable male power fantasy. It’s a testosterone-fueled action spectacle that follows a generic formula, but follows it well.
If you saw Odenkirk on the film’s poster and expected the witty writing and dialogue of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Nobody will probably bore you. Despite this, Nobody is a well-crafted action movie that features solid performances, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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