Rating 6/10
In the spring of 2021, when most movie theaters were closed, a modest action picture earned a profitable $57.5 million worldwide against a budget of $16 million. Universal Pictures decided people needed a sequel, so now we have Nobody 2. The original was about a seemingly ordinary suburban dad who reveals his past life as a deadly government enforcer. It all started when petty burglars broke into his home, and by the end, he set fire to the Russian mob’s hidden stash of cash.
Now, actor Bob Odenkirk is back as Hutch Mansell in this follow-up, which picks up four years after the events of its predecessor. Naturally, the mob didn’t just let that go. They’ve put an enormous price on him and his family. Rather than let a full-scale war continue, Hutch agrees to work off the $30 million by doing jobs for them. This construct allows the sequel to keep him entangled in violence even though he’d rather stay retired. Now, if you think it would have been wiser not to burn their cash so he could have lived his life in peace, then you might be too smart for this movie.
This arrangement inevitably strains his relationship with his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen). Hoping to reconnect, they take their children (Gage Munroe & Paisley Cadorath) on a nostalgic vacation to a rundown Midwestern amusement park called Plummerville. Hutch’s former FBI agent father (Christopher Lloyd) is also in tow. But their holiday soon becomes a nightmare when they become targets of a corrupt sheriff (Colin Hanks), who is secretly on the payroll of a ruthless crime boss (Sharon Stone). Together, they pull the strings of a small-town criminal syndicate of local thugs that control the community.
My expectations were so low. This is yet another comic riff on the John Wick blueprint. Earlier this year, Jack Quaid in Novocaine and Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, also mined the same territory. At least this one involves Derek Kolstad, who created and co-wrote the first three John Wick films, so he’s more connected to the formula. What really elevates the proceedings is Timo Tjahjanto, an Indonesian director making his English-language debut. Tjahjanto transforms a rote genre tale into a vivid probe into the underworld of a small town by adding inventive action set pieces. I was never bored. He manages to bring a lazy script to life. When a security guard strikes Hutch’s young daughter in an arcade as they’re being escorted off the premises, you understand why Hutch snaps a few minutes later.
As in the first, the song selections remain an essential part of the narrative. The sequence above is scored to The Offspring’s “Come Out and Play,” while “More Today Than Yesterday” by Spiral Starecase and a cover of “Ring of Fire” by Des Rocs add to their respective scenes. But the pièce de résistance is when Céline Dion’s “The Power of Love” underscores the film’s darkly comic climax. No spoilers, but when Becca is shown excelling at a carnival-style shooting game midway through, it feels like an obvious foreshadowing.
Nobody 2 is a decent action flick, and that’s more than I expected. The story gets a surprising amount of mileage from Hutch’s devotion to his wife and kids. His altruistic desire to take them on a nostalgic trip is touching. There’s a warmth to the interactions that wasn’t apparent in the 2021 entry. Hutch’s kids Brady and Sammy seem to appreciate his sacrifices, even as he continues to do bad things for bad people. The familial bond is the emotional center.
The plot is not fresh by any stretch of the imagination. “Retired killer is dragged back into his former underworld” isn’t going to win points for innovation. The villains are also generic. Colin Hanks plays against type but is forgettable. Sharon Stone arrives late and oozes camp, but she’s trying too hard. Her performance mainly involves dropping F-bombs and killing people without warning. She even has a French Bulldog she carries like a Bond villain. Writers Derek Kolstad and Aaron Rabin clearly didn’t know what to do with these characters. However, thanks to Timo Tjahjanto, the film manages to upstage the original with better set pieces and a more likable dynamic. Nobody 2 delivers a sincere story about a close-knit family amid the bloodshed.
08-21-25