In this frustrating phase when a political faction sides with muggers, molesters and murderers (or just about any cretin who dares to get away with wrongdoing), and law-abiding citizens are vilified and/or tossed to the wayside without a second thought, a movie like Nobody 2 is a breath of fresh air.
This new Nobody is directed by Timo (May the Devil Take You I & II) Tjahjanto and coproduced by David Leitch, Kelly McCormick, Marc Provissero and Bob (Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul) Odenkirk, who resumes his role of Hutch Mansell, an unassuming guy who was once a government, killing-machine operative.
In this new chapter, Hutch's family gets embroiled in the danger, its members played by Connie (Gladiator I & II) Nielsen, reprising her role of Becca; Gage Monroe as his teen son, Brady; and Paisley Cadorath as his daughter, Sammy. Christopher Lloyd again portrays Hutch's dad, David, a salty, former F.B.I. man; RZA, returns as Hutch's mystic, swordsman brother, Harry. (Colin Samuel re-enters as Hutch's smooth-talking, close-to-the-bone "handler/debtor," the Barber.)
As fate would have it, Hutch and his family come upon a heap of corruption at Wild Bill's Pummerville Water Park, a spot that Hutch visited and enjoyed as a kid, but it's now brimming with consorted characters who rain on their "deescalating" parade: John Ortiz's Henry (Wild Bill Jr.) the park's coerced and cruel operator, Colin Hank's immoral Sheriff Abel, and Sharon Stone's lethal, "bat-shit" Lendina, who's steering the town's big-time, bootlegging network. (It's really a matter of one villainous layer eclipsing the next, where in-fighting and alliances are made, and gory surprises burst through the coincidental seams.)
Watching Odenkirk's "everyman" reveal (and squash) the bad guy's tactics is part of the nerve-rattling fun, and that fun hits its peak when Hutch springs into fighting mode, which is often. As with the first chapter, the result is rather like watching Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill become Daredevil, Batman or James Bond (and if he can do it, maybe so can you, and if not, his casual-wear actions are at least there to experience vicariously).
Nobody 2 is also lean in its meanness, never spoiled by long-winded explanations, but Hutch's love for his family never falls from view, as it presents an identifiable warmth and cause. We don't want to see Hutch or his loved ones harmed, and that makes us root for him (and them) all the more.
There's no doubt that the Nobody movies hold a Die Hard vibe, and in that respect remind me of Danny Trejo's Bad Ass trilogy or the recent Jason Statham exploits, The Beekeeper and A Working Man, which simulate the vengeful zeal that Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone paved in their tough-guy roles. The passing of the torch is welcome, therefore, and done with a keen understanding of what makes such this "rise to the occasion" genre work.
Sure, flatulent, out-of-touch, Upstaters won't get it any more than will the packs of crackpot Sineads out there. (I know I've said such before regarding similar movies, but my broken record must remain broken and re-cranked for all its worth.) Nevertheless, for those who place stock in justice (and believe it should be served more than it is in this upside-down world), Nobody 2 will be a gem, and one that I'm hoping births a third.
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