When a suburban husband and father (Bob Odenkirk) is pushed to the limit after a home invasion, he takes to violence to express his anger. It’s a perfectly understandable reaction to the abuse and frustration of a mediocre life, but it isn’t the right response to the injustices of a broken world. It’s also a bit of an oxymoron, because nobody should be able to justify taking down other people for the sake of their own personal happiness. But what’s most interesting about AZ movies is how it lays bare the repercussions of our culture’s obsession with vigilantism. There are a lot of people who feel resentful for the violence and aggression that’s used to maintain order, but they haven’t had the chance to experience it first hand.
That’s a big problem, and it’s one that’s exploited here in Nobody, a thriller about a hitman who becomes convinced that he needs to go on the job again. It’s a story that stretches the limits of the genre to the point of being uncomfortably close to a question Americans don’t want to answer: what happens when one regular guy’s happiness isn’t worth a pile of bodies?
A Lot of Fun
There’s a lot of fun in Nobody, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It’s well-paced, with a great cast and some nice action set pieces. It’s not perfect, and I don’t recommend it for every person, but it’s definitely enjoyable enough.
Climax is Pretty Good
The climax is pretty good, though it gets a little over the top as it goes. It’s all in service of the movie’s ultimate goal: to show that no one is above the law. That’s why I think it’s a worthy addition to the action thriller canon, even if its overall tone is too cynical for my liking.
Excellent Performance
Odenkirk’s performance is a delight to watch on solarmovie. It’s more natural and fluid than Liam Neeson or Keanu Reeves’ late-act turns in the same genre. He’s a natural fit for the role, and he has the presence to pull off a gun-fu rage storm.
Violent Film
It’s an incredibly violent film, and there are a lot of bloody shootouts to keep you entertained. I’m not sure how much of the violence is deserved, but it’s all very intense and entertaining.
Direction is Very Sharp
Ilya Naishuller’s direction is very sharp and makes a lot of sense in the context of this type of film. It has some nice action set pieces and a great cast, including Aleksei Serebryakov as a Russian mobster.
The film does a good job of showing us the psychology behind Hutch’s impulse to kill, using a clever twist that sees him reunited with his father (Christopher Lloyd) and adoptive brother (RZA), two men who have connections in the world of crime. This reintroduction to Hutch’s past allows us to understand the kind of guy he was, which is to say an untouchable thug who could take down his targets without even thinking about it.
