In a barrage of fists, gunfire and squealing tires, an enraged man must save his family from a dangerous adversary, and ensure that he will never be underestimated again. A film by Ilya Naishuller, starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Alexey Serebryakov, RZA, Michael Ironside, Colin Salmon, Billy MacLellan, Gage Munroe, and Christopher Lloyd.
NOBODY
Ilya Naishuller
(2021)
Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) appears to be an ordinary man on the surface. He lives with his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), his son Blake (Gage Munroe), and his daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath). He works at a factory owned by his father-in-law Eddie (Michael Ironside).
One night, burglars break into his house and threaten Hutch, demanding he hand over any cash he has. But since Hutch uses a debit card, he barely keeps any cash at home. The burglars take his wristwatch instead. As the thieves are about to flee the house, Blake tries to grab one of the criminals, but Hutch tells Blake to let the burglar go.
Hutch doesn’t reveal the real reason behind his decision to let the burglar go without a fight to the police, his family, or even his neighbors. But he does share that reason with his half-brother Harry (RZA) through a radio he keeps hidden in his workshop.
Give me the goddamn kitty cat bracelet, motherfucker!
Later, his daughter Sammy tells him she can’t find her bracelet. Hutch is convinced that the two burglars took it, so he sets out to track them down himself. When he finds the thieves, he demands they return the bracelet. But when he learns the truth that the two men robbed his house because they desperately needed money to pay for their sick child’s medical treatment, Hutch feels guilty.
On his way home on the bus, Hutch encounters a group of drunk Russian thugs who are harassing a young woman. Still in a confused state of mind, Hutch takes action against the thugs, leaving them so severely injured that they have to be hospitalized.
Hutch is unaware that one of the thugs named Teddy (Aleksandr Pal) is the brother of Yulian Kuznetsov (Alexey Serebryakov), a powerful and extremely wealthy Russian mob boss. Yulian sends a team to deal with Hutch at his house.
Aside from the slightly sluggish storytelling in the opening, this film is a highly entertaining, exciting, and brutally intense film that keeps you hooked. The fight scenes are genuinely thrilling, and there are several tricks and techniques that I’ve never seen in other movies before.
NOBODY isn’t a particularly original film, and its plot bears a strong resemblance to John Wick. Even the movie poster parodies John Wick, which isn’t surprising since Derek Kolstad, who wrote this screenplay, is the same person who wrote all three John Wick films!
This means there’s a possibility that characters from both franchises could crossover in the future. That said, the character development is excellent, especially Bob Odenkirk’s performance, which perfectly fits the role. The cinematography deserves praise, the film is beautifully shot. Even something as simple as opening a can of cat food looks cool.
Personally, I really like how they handled the main villain’s final decision. The big bad doesn’t need to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the protagonist at all, and the ending leaves it open for a potential sequel.
NOBODY was theatrically released in the United States on 26 March 2021. The film was originally scheduled to be released in U.S. theaters on 14 August 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
