Nobody 2

by Mike McGranaghan

The original Nobody was novel because it told the story of a seemingly ordinary, middle-aged man who also happened to be a highly trained assassin. The sequel Nobody 2 flips the script, telling a story about a highly trained assassin trying to be an ordinary middle-aged man. For a little while, at least. It’s a clever approach that leads to a movie that’s like National Lampoon’s Vacation with bloodshed.

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) has been desperately trying to pay off a debt he incurred as a result of events from the first film. Wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) feels he needs a break from the constant “missions” and convinces him to take part in a family vacation with their kids and his father David (Christopher Lloyd). He chooses Plummerville, a resort area with an amusement park that David took him to as a child. Any possibility of a relaxing trip ends when Hutch runs afoul of the local sheriff (Colin Hanks), the owner of Plummerville (John Ortiz), and, most especially, a ruthless criminal kingpin named Lendina (Sharon Stone) whose smuggling business he unintentionally interferes with.

The first thing that really needs to be said about Nobody 2 is that Sharon Stone is freaking great in it. She has always excelled at playing characters who are evil or edgy, and this time she doesn’t just chew the scenery, she decimates it. Lendina makes Basic Instinct’s icepick killer Catherine Tramell look like a pussycat. Having a strong villain benefits the movie greatly.

Odenkirk once again makes Hutch a fun character to watch. The actor continues the tradition of visibly doing most of his own fight moves onscreen. That disconnect between how the character looks and how epically he brawls remains entertaining. One of the wildest sequences finds Hutch taking on a group of muscular bad guys on a cramped little tourist boat and using whatever’s handy – from a life preserver to an anchor – to beat them off. Nielsen and Lloyd provide strong backup, with the former getting extra room to develop Becca. Lloyd gets to fire a Gatling gun, so he makes out alright, too.

Director Tijo Tjahjanto (Headshot) stages the many action sequences with a breathless pace, plenty of style, and more than a little humor. Fight scenes from classic Jackie Chan pictures are a clear influence with their “anything can be a weapon” aesthetic and occasional inclusion of physical comedy. The finale involves booby-trapping the amusement park, and it pulls out all the stops. It’s hyper-violent, yet also undeniably funny.

The story is obviously pretty thin, which is the only drawback. Then again, so was the original’s. Nobody 2 also tosses in a theme about fathers and sons that’s sweet, if surface-level. Otherwise, it strives to be the kind of action movie where you can kick back, relax, and simply enjoy the mindless mayhem. Bob Odenkirk taking on Sharon Stone is enough to have a very good time at the movies.

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