Nobody Review
Nobody is Universal’s swing at their own John Wick style action franchise. It’s certainly reminiscent of the popular Keanu Reeves thriller, while also throwing in hints of a cult classic like Fight Club. It isn’t too similar in story or style but rather its overall approach. A man tired of his monotonous, banal life seeks to trade it in for a life of excitement and some high octane, violent action.
Nobody delivers 90 minutes of high energy action and gives audiences exactly what they expect. The trailer encapsulates the entire film in a nutshell. While it sets out to be and succeeds as an action-thriller, Nobody also feels very generic and unmemorable. Although it has its noteworthy moments, it doesn’t do much to stand out from the pack.
Perhaps the most unexpected element of it all is Bob Odenkirk as our main protagonist, Hutch. The Better Call Saul star is an unlikely choice for a kick ass hero who isn’t going to take shit from anyone. That’s when I enjoyed Nobody the most. In those moments when Odenkirk plays against type as a rough and hardened action star.
The rest is take it or leave it. Without getting too much into the story, the plot isn’t as much of a revenge epic as something like John Wick. It doesn’t take much to set Hutch over the edge and while you do get the sense that these feelings have been building up over time, the resulting blow out seems somewhat unnecessary and the way the story plays out puzzled me.
At the end of the day, it’s all done to get Hutch tied up with the Russian mob, which is another weak element of the film. Again, like many other elements of Nobody, the villain feels generic.
That isn’t to say there aren’t any clever or well choreographed elements or action sequences in Nobody. There are some very unforgettable and entertaining kills and character moments that were much more gruesome than I initially expected.
Overall, I felt that most of the excitement of the night came from being back at the movies rather than the strength of the film itself. If you’re dying to get back to the theatre, Nobody is perfectly sufficient. Just don’t expect anything mind-blowing.
