Nobody 2

The film Nobody 2 arrives four years after the surprise success of the first film, and while the novelty of seeing Bob Odenkirk go from suburban family man to a former government auditor with deadly efficiency has now worn off, the sequel makes up for it by doubling down on scale, creativity, and sunny chaos. Directed by Indonesian action virtuoso Timo Tjahjanto, whose films The Night Comes for Us and The Shadow Strays earned him a reputation as a creator of meticulously orchestrated carnage, this sequel swaps the snowy, gray-blue setting of the original for a garish Midwestern water park bathed in neon, kitsch, and questionable safety standards. The result is a sleek, high-octane film that feels like a full-speed collision between National Lampoon's Vacation and Home Alone, except this time the traps leave broken bones, the punchlines are accompanied by splatters of blood, and every park attraction becomes a potential weapon. It's a tonal cocktail that shouldn't work as well as it does, but with Timo Tjahjanto behind the camera, every beat is delivered with precision and energy.

The story picks up with Hutch Mansell still reeling from the bloody aftermath of his fiasco with the Russian mafia. His $30 million debt hasn't gone away, and he's paying it off by traveling the world on secret government missions, a life that keeps him away from his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) and their children Brady (Gage Munroe) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath). Cracks in the family begin to appear. Brady begins to detach emotionally, Becca is tired of the long absences, and Sammy barely sees his father. Feeling time slipping away, Hutch decides to take them on an old-fashioned family road trip to Wild Bill's Majestic Midway and Waterpark in Plummerville, Wisconsin, a nostalgic place from his childhood where he used to go with his father David (Christopher Lloyd) and his brother Harry (RZA). But he discovers a dilapidated place riddled with crime, run by shady owner Wyatt Martin (John Ortiz), corrupt sheriff Abel (Colin Hanks), and the crazy queen of the underworld, Lendina (Sharon Stone).
 As soon as Hutch sets foot in this run-down tourist trap, you can feel chaos brewing like a storm on the horizon. 

Director Timo Tjahjanto wastes no time plunging us back into Hutch's hyper-violent world. The opening montage, which retraces his missions abroad, is as stylish as it is substantial: shootouts in narrow alleys, improvised murders in restaurant kitchens, and a brutal efficiency that leaves no doubt as to why he's still a top agent. But once the family arrives at the park, the personality of the sequel really takes over. Timo Tjahjanto and the stunt team transform every corner of the park into an imaginative combat zone: a claw machine turned into a blunt weapon, a Whac-A-Mole stand hiding a vicious ambush, a children's ball pit concealing weapons, and even a duck boat turned into a floating death trap. The action here is choreographed with precision but deliberately chaotic, with the geography of each fight playing a central role, which has been a hallmark of 87North Productions since John Wick, but with a fresh, colorful, and slightly absurd twist under Timo Tjahjanto's direction.

What prevents Nobody 2 from being a mere John Wick clone is its willingness to focus on both comedy and character development without downplaying the stakes. Bob Odenkirk remains an unlikely but thoroughly convincing action hero, continuing to perform most of his own stunts and making each fight feel like a hard-fought battle rather than an effortless display of strength. His character, Hutch, is a man who wins his fights, but not without bruises, limps, and occasional expressions of “why am I still doing this?” Connie Nielsen gets a bigger role this time around, stepping out of the worried wife cliché to play a more active and aware partner who understands exactly who her husband is and, in her own way, knows how to defend herself when danger comes knocking. Their exchanges, a mix of sarcasm and unspoken loyalty, ground the film in a believable emotional reality that contrasts nicely with the hyper-stylized violence. Christopher Lloyd once again steals the show as a trigger-happy grandfather whose smile widens with every gunshot, while the samurai sword fight between RZA and genre veteran Daniel Bernhardt is pure delight for action fans.

Sharon Stone as Lendina is undoubtedly the film's trump card. From the moment she appears—dancing alone in a glitzy casino, giving orders with the sly malice of a James Bond villain, accompanied by a French bulldog with a spiked collar—she commands attention. Both caricatured and menacing, she fits perfectly into director Timo Tjahjanto's exaggerated universe. Unfortunately, she is also the film's most underused asset. After her unforgettable entrance, she disappears for much of the film, only to reappear in the final act. While the final confrontation is satisfying, one can't help but regret that she didn't have more screen time to unsettle Hutch and raise the stakes in a way that could have pushed this sequel into even darker and more interesting territory.

Despite its light running time, Nobody 2 sincerely attempts to explore its underlying emotional current. Hutch's growing fear that Brady will inherit his violent instincts echoes the generational cycles of brutality suggested in Wyatt Martin's past. It's not a heavily developed theme, more of a thread than a true narrative arc, but it gives weight to Hutch's struggle to be both protector and moral guide. The problem, of course, is that every time the story starts to delve deeper into these ideas, another irresistibly creative action scene distracts us. Nevertheless, these small moments of self-awareness prevent the film from sinking completely into hollow spectacle, reminding us that Hutch's family is just as important as his survival skills.

It's in the final act that the film really makes its mark. Timo Tjahjanto stages a lengthy battle across multiple locations in the park, which resembles a roller coaster designed by a deranged warlord. The action alternates between Hutch's inventive solo assaults and parallel attacks by David and Harry, each using the environment in absurdly inventive ways: a Ferris wheel turned into a rotating firing platform, harpoons fired through a wave pool, and enough broken fiberglass for OSHA to file an official complaint. The claustrophobic, darkly funny, and brilliantly paced amphibious boat sequence is on par with the bus fight in the first film as an iconic scene in the franchise. It perfectly sums up what makes these films so successful: a mix of precise choreography, dark humor, and the knowledge that every victory comes at a price.

Nobody 2 doesn't reinvent the formula, it embraces it, amplifies it, and injects just enough personality to make the journey worth taking again. Bob Odenkirk proves that the first film was no fluke, Timo Tjahjanto establishes himself as one of the most inventive action directors working today, and the film delivers on its promise of dysfunctional family dynamics, colorful villains, and gloriously over-the-top action scenes. It's denser, bloodier, and more colorful than its predecessor, and while it leaves a few narrative possibilities hanging, it more than makes up for it with creativity and energy. For fans of the original and anyone who thinks Home Alone deserved more deaths, Nobody 2 is a worthwhile escapade, but don't expect to leave the park without a few scars. Definitely one of the best action movies of the year.

Nobody 2
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto
Written by Derek Kolstad, Aaron Rabin[a]
Story by Derek Kolstad
Produced by Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Bob Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero, Braden Aftergood
Starring Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, John Ortiz, RZA, Colin Hanks, Christopher Lloyd, Sharon Stone
Cinematography: Callan Green
Music by Dominic Lewis
Production companies: 87North Productions, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date: August 13, 2025 (France), August 15, 2025 (United States)
Running time: 89 minutes

Seen on August 13, 2025 at Gaumont Disney Village, Theater 4, seat A18

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