Nobody 2

4 outta 5

Nobody 2 is a fun return to the world of Hutch Mansell and family. It may be missing the shock of the new that jolted the first one (even if it was inherently just sort of a riff on John Wick) but there is some great action here, and the lead performances are all really entertaining. There may not be something as jaw dropping as crazy as the original’s bus fight with straw tacheometry, and it is missing the intriguing character reveals that were gradually doled out. But this does have nasty bad guys, crunchy action, and lots of freak outs. Nobody 2 doesn’t add much new to the series, but it is really rocking to see all these characters again, as Hutch can’t catch a break and breaks everybody else instead.

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is a seemingly normal suburban dad with a wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen) and two kids, Brady (Gage Munroe) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath). But Hutch’s job is beating people up and retrieving objects for more powerful people. Hutch is deep in debt after destroying a bundle of criminal money (see the first film) and has to work his way out of the debt. The stress of the constant carnage has gotten to him, and he needs a vacation. He gathers up his family, including the excitable Grandpa Mansell (Christopher Lloyd) and heads to the one place he ever went on vacation as a kid, a small town with a pool, hotel and an amusement park. When they arrive, Hutch’s son gets into a confrontation with a local tough, causing Hutch to start beating up on the aggressor’s father. This unlocks a whole gaggle of chaos involving crooked cops like Abel (Colin Hanks), the brutal criminal leader with a gang of goons, Lendina (Sharon Stone) and Wyatt (John Ortiz), the guy who runs the theme park. All of these people collide in an extremely violent and messy way as Hutch, his wife, grandpa and his brother, Harry (RZA), try to save their family’s vacation and lives.

Like the first film, it is bookended by Hutch being interrogated but this time Hutch is there with his wife. Their relationship isn’t quite as bitter this time around, but she does seem to keep Hutch on a closer leash this time. Becca has some moments where she gets in on the action, which is fun to see Nielsen more involved than before. It’s revealed that she’s a crackerjack sniper shot (which is probably why she got along with Hutch so well at first), but there is a bit where she proclaims that don’t mess with the mama bear, which is a little cheesy.

Odenkirk is a sad sack pushed too far, holding back his killer instincts. In the first film, his backstory was slowly unveiled in some cool monologues. The only new reveals here are vacations he used to take as a kid and whatever is going on with his wife. But Odenkirk can still deliver a banger of a monologue here and curt one liners towards the folks he’s about to beat down. Deep down, he just wants to be a happy family man, and there is a moment when he stresses the importance of building good memories, like on this vacation, for when things in life get rough. Even when they arrive at the location, it’s very shoddy and run down but Hutch is loving it just the same with his childhood memories colouring every location.

|He immediately ticks off a Sheriff by staring long into the distance, and Hanks (looking more like his actual dad in every role) shows a very bitter and petty man who gets what he deserves. Ortiz’s Wyatt is a bit of a wildcard, he seems annoyed he had to inherit his father’s crummy park, and he beats up on Hutch even when Hutch is trying to help. Munroe as the son gets in some teenage angst while Cadorath as the daughter is just happy to be on a trip with Grandpa. A blast is Lloyd as the Grandpa, who still has a lot of tricks up his sleeve despite his frail frame, and provides some chaos. The arrival of his son, Harry, adds some unexpected twists it is fun to see RZA again. As the main criminal mastermind, Stone plays her as a complete psychopath and enjoying it. By the end, she is so crazy she can’t even accept that this nobody and his wife are taking out all her men.

The action is what keeps Nobody 2 lively. There is a fight on a boat where Hutch is taking on several goons that feels very visceral as Hutch uses anything he can get his hands on. And the end of the action scene has Hutch losing the tip of his finger and Odenkirk’s reaction is brilliant. A moment has Harry in a sword fight with a guy wielding a machete which Harry cuts through easily with his samurai sword, saying how dumb that guy was. The finale with the amusement park rigged with death traps has all kinds of carnage, even a bunch of goons getting splattered by one of the rides. Nobody is one of the more bombastic action franchises and this delivers some crunchy pop upon its return.