Nobody

"My home has been broken into twice, both times with my wife and kids and myself at home . The first time was particularly traumatic. As a dad, I felt the right thing to do was...nothing. I believe we made it through with minimal damage, but still, the experience has never left me, and I've always wondered if I should have been more proactive." - Bob Odenkirk

It was a long wait to discover what is one of the best action films of the last few years. While most of the recent action movies are content with lining up spectacular scenes while forgetting to incorporate a real psychological dimension, Nobody takes its time to set its frame, to introduce its main character, a family man that nobody notices and who every day takes the bus to go to work in his wife's father's company.  Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, The Post, Nebraska) plays Hutch Mansell, an underestimated and neglected father and husband, who takes life's indignities in stride without ever pushing them away. A stranger like many in every town. 

When two thieves break into his suburban home one night, Hutch refuses to defend himself or his family, hoping to prevent any serious violence. His teenage son, Blake (Gage Munroe, The Shack), is disappointed in him, and his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen, Wonder Woman), seems to grow further apart every day. Yet the aftermath of the incident unleashes Hutch's long-simmering rage, unleashing dormant instincts and propelling him down a brutal path that will reveal dark secrets and deadly skills. In a deluge of fists, gunfire and screeching tires, Hutch must save his family from a dangerous adversary (famed Russian actor Aleksey Serebryakov, from Amazon's McMafia series) and ensure that he is never again underestimated as a nobody. With the help of his father, Hutch Mansell will become a real killing machine again.

Those who, like us, adored the cinematographic saga John Wick know perfectly well the scriptwriter of this one who delivers us here a new scenario that is gripping, mastered and gives way to spectacular action scenes (the scene on the bus has everything to become cult). Once again Derek Kolstad delivers a story without any false note in which we easily understand the will of his main character to have a normal life and not to be this perfect killer worthy of the outstanding heroes of the 80s and 90s. It was a risky bet to transform the excellent actor Bob Odenkirk into a character able to compete with John Wick but also with the characters played by actors specialized in action movies in the 90's like Steven Seagal, Arnold Schwarzenegger and others. The big difference here is that Bob Odenkirk is an excellent comedian who is much better known until this film for comedies and dramatic films and series. In the many action scenes he is not only credible but also proves to be a real talent.

We will also appreciate to find in the role of the father of the main character the iconic actor Christopher Lloyd who marked forever our memories in the trilogy Back to the future (1995-1990) but also One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1976), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and The Addams Family (1991). He finds here one of the best roles of his career and reminds us what an excellent actor he is.

Ilya Naishuller who signs here his second film after Hardcore Henry (2015) which already testified that this director was rather very talented to direct an action movie despite a scenario that would have deserved unlike here to gain in psychology and not remain a leitmotiv to direct a film copied on the many FPS that gamers love.

The undeniable imprint of the scenario is also felt in the choice to accompany his film with a remarkable soundtrack and a willingness to leave Nobody of a simple action movie. The result is a memorable film that several viewings will not be enough to fill our jubilant pleasure in seeing this film. We suspect that the John Wick franchise has paved the way for the character Hutch Mansell and we hope to see him in other films with the same team in front of and behind the camera.

While this film was released on March 26 in the United States and met a real public and critical success, the French spectators will have to wait until June 2 to discover what is in our eyes an event film, a film that makes you want to stand up and applaud as we have here simply one of the best action films seen recently.  See it again and again and we can't wait to see it again on the big screen with a popcorn and a soda to remind us of the great moments spent in the cinema that make us want to go to the cinema and to get out of this too routine life.

Nobody
Directed by Ilya Naishuller
Produced by Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Braden Aftergood, Bob Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero
Written by Derek Kolstad
Starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Aleksei Serebryakov, Christopher Lloyd
Music by David Buckley
Cinematography : Pawel Pogorzelski
Edited by William Yeh, Evan Schiff
Production companies : 87North Productions, Eighty Two Films, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, Perfect World Pictures
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date : March 26, 2021 (United States), June 2 , 2021 (France)
Running time : 92 minutes

Seen on March 23, 2021 in original version 
Reviewed on March 24, 2021

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