Nobody 2: A Review

NOBODY 2

After 2021's Nobody proved a surprise hit film, perhaps it would be inevitable that a sequel would be pumped out. Nobody 2 goes deep into the violence. While it does not hold up as well as the first, Nobody 2 is in a manner of speaking, harmless. 

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is exhausted physically and emotionally from the constant hit jobs that he has to do to pay off the debt from his last adventure. He appeals to his de facto boss The Barber (Colin Salmon) for a break. The Barber agrees to let Hutch take a vacation. With that, Hutch takes his whole family to the town of Plummerville. It has a combination amusement park and mini resort that Hutch has fond memories of going to as a child.

Hutch now can relax with his family. He has his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), his son Brady (Gage Munroe) and daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath). He even brings along his dad, David (Christopher Lloyd). Hutch soon sees that you can't go home again. The Plummerville resort/amusement park has fallen on hard times. So has Plummerville itself.

As it so happens, Plummerville is not a variation on Branson, Missouri. It is a hotbed of criminal activity. The sheriff /amusement park owner Wyatt Martin (John Ortiz) has kept things going overall well. His corrupt deputy Abel (Colin Hanks) wants to overthrow Wyatt. An altercation between Hutch and Wyatt's son Max (Lucius Hoyos) sparks a full-scale war. Abel is determined to take full control. For that, he needs the full support of crime queen Lendina (Sharon Stone). That involves kidnapping Max to keep Wyatt in line. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Nobody is here.

Soon, Lendina has to come down to squash this unexpected rebellion. Hutch, who has rescued Max and brought him to safety with the Mansells, prepares for war. He joins forces with Wyatt and has help from his brother Harry (RZA). It is a bloody battle where Becca too must stand her ground. Who will emerge triumphant as these two forces battle it out?

The best thing that I can say about Nobody 2 is that it is blissfully short at 89 minutes. It is slightly shorter than the original Nobody, a film that I enjoyed. I was cooler with Nobody 2 than I was with Nobody, though. I think it is because Nobody 2 essentially erased what I enjoyed the most from Nobody. Hutch in the first film felt like an average, even below average, man who was actually a master assassin. Here, he seemed to be less average. I get that Hutch is still this expert killer. It just felt as if the characters were just going through the motions.

Try as I might, I could not get the glee out of seeing a put-upon man unleash his bad self. I think it is because Hutch was not really unleashing his bad self. He was not being driven to strike back. He just struck back because Derek Kolstad and Aaron Rabin's screenplay said so. I cannot quite put my finger on it. I just watched Nobody 2 not with frustration or boredom, but with growing disinterest. 

I get that Plummerville was just a setup for the final battles. Therein perhaps lies part of the problem. The setup did not feel altogether natural. It seems a wild stretch that this rundown town was really a hotbed of criminal corruption and shady dealings. 

I do not fault the actors themselves. Well, maybe I will fault Connie Nielsen a bit. Part of Nobody's appeal was how she was an average woman caught up in this maelstrom of murder. It takes away a bit of the fun when Becca can turn out to be an excellent markswoman like her husband. At least she did not turn out to be an assassin herself. However, it again did not feel authentic, even for something as gleefully bonkers as Nobody 2.

Sharon Stone loved being able to camp it up to almost unseen levels. I did not recognize her until my cousin, who saw Nobody 2 with me, told me that it was Sharon Stone. She understood the assignment be as over-the-top and cartoonish as you can. Maybe more if possible. She was so broad as Lendina that it was impossible to take her seriously.

Bob Odenkirk also understood that things were meant to be a bit silly. He could play serious moments well. He could also be in on the joke, as when a group of Abel's goons attack him on an excursion boat. Here, perhaps, is where I have an issue with Nobody 2. I get that this is an action comedy. I do not quite get the humor of the old couple in front of the excursion boat (along with the tour guide) being completely unaware of the chaos behind them. 

It is nice to see Colin Hanks handle a villainous role. He does well, if again by the end it seemed a bit too exaggerated. We got some solid acting in John Ortiz and Lucius Hoyos as Wyatt and Max Martin. Ortiz's Wyatt was not a bad man, and he did have an evolution through the film. Hoyos' Max was a bully. However, I think audiences will feel for him when he is abducted, remembering that he is also a kid who is put in danger. Christopher Lloyd and RZA were underused.

Nobody 2 has that action and blood that people would like. It was a bit much for me, but it was not a dealbreaker either.

Nobody 2 was fine. I think the first one was better. While I did hope for a sequel, Nobody 2 is serviceable. It would have been nice, maybe clever, if David Mansell had broken out into some Emily Dickinson.

"I'm Nobody. Who are you? Are you Nobody 2?"

DECISION: C+