Movie Review: ‘Nobody 2’

Tweet
Review by James Lindorf

For all the “John Wick” fans who wondered how his life could have turned out if his wife had never died, 87North gave us 2021’s “Nobody.” The film starred a then 56-year-old Bob Odenkirk as Hutch, a listless middle-aged man yearning for the excitement of his youth as an “auditor,” a highly skilled assassin employed by intelligence agencies. The Ilya Naishuller directed film was both a critical and financial success, bringing in 60 million on a 16 million dollar production budget. Now, Hutch and his family are back in action in “Nobody 2,” which opens everywhere on August 15th.

In the first film, Hutch (Bob Odenkirk) was a frustrated shell of himself. One of the toughest men on the planet, who gave it all up for the suburban dream, surrounded by constant displays of performative masculinity from fake tough guys. When allowed to unleash his bottled-up anger, he did so with glee against the Russian Mob. It has been four years, and in that time, the family bought a new house, and Hutch went back to his old job full-time. Now, in classic fashion, he has overcorrected and is so busy that he has withdrawn from his family, leaving early, coming home late, and missing events he never would have years ago. In a desperate bid to reconnect, he packs up the family, including wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), son Brady (Gage Munroe), Daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), and his father David (Christopher Lloyd), for a road trip to the small tourist town of Plummerville. Everything is going great until Hutch runs afoul of a corrupt theme-park operator (John Ortiz), a shady sheriff (Colin Hanks), and a bloodthirsty crime boss (Sharon Stone) who runs a smuggling operation through the town.

The main selling point for most of the 87North movies is the quality of the action and the dedication of the actors to train with the stuntman to put the most elaborate fight scenes they can on screen. Bob Odenkirk put in the time to learn and perform a lot of his own stunts. Still, it isn’t quite as flawlessly presented as the first movie, possibly due to Odenkirk now being in his 60s or a new style from the combination of new Cinematographer Callan Green and Director Timo Tjahjanto. This is most noticeable during an elevator fight scene that has more cuts than floors. Once we get into the heart of the film, things slow down and become much more enjoyable. The climactic fight isn’t at a steel mill this time but at the amusement park, which is a massive upgrade. The fun house, water slides, ball pits, and other classic midway activities provide tons of opportunities for mayhem.

The main selling points for “Nobody 2” are the action, its fun atmosphere, and a svelte running time. If you are not entertained early on, you are in for a painful time that thankfully only lasts 89 minutes. This is mainly because the story of “Nobody 2” isn’t nearly as strong as the original. The setup has Hutch working nonstop over the last four years to pay off a debt for burning the Obshchak, which is utterly meaningless beyond the opening montage. Maybe the debt will come back in the third film, but it is the laziest way they could have gone about getting Hutch into this new mindset and position with his family.

Again, like the action, once the story slows down and settles into a rhythm, it is greatly improved. While improved overall, one thing that lasts throughout the movie are moments where the acting or dialogue are cranked to 11. Nearly every actor gets a moment or a line that has no business being in the final product. In a conservative estimate, I would say 95% of RZA’s lines should have been rewritten or rerecorded. The second worst offender is Connie Nielsen, who has two moments that thudded so hard it may hurt your ears. But the most bizarre moment of all goes to Sharon Stone and her dance sequence. It is hard to say it is bad because you are too dumbfounded by what you are seeing.

“Nobody 2” is a lesser film than its originator, but it didn’t fall off a cliff. We are talking in the neighborhood of 90% as good as the original, which may be enough to convince readers to pass if you were on the fence, but if you loved the first one, you’re sure to enjoy it. It would be hard not to when so many elements repeat. I would be interested in a third film, but whoever the writers may be at that time, they need to bring back the level of character development of the first film. The characters are nearly stagnant from beginning to end, giving the impression that they are trying to position them for a climactic third film. Suppose they can find the balance between story and action and breathe some originality into that action. In that case, they have the opportunity to make the best film of the series. “Nobody 2” imperfections and all comes in at a solid 3.5.

Director: Timo Tjahjanto
Producer: Kelly McCormick, Bob Odenkirk, David Leitch, Marc Provissiero, Braden Aftergood
Screenwriter: Derek Kolstad, Aaron Rabin, Bob Odenkirk, Umair Aleem
Distributor:Universal Pictures
Production Co: Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, 87North, Eighty Two Films
Rating: R (Strong Bloody Violence|Language Throughout)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): August 15th, 2025
Runtime: 1h 29m