Nobody ★★★★

Director: Ilya Naishuller

Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Lloyd, Connie Nielsen, Aleksey Serebryakov, RZA

Released: 9th June 2021 in UK Cinemas

The likes of Liam Neeson and Keanu Reeves have revitalised their career in the lone-faded-assassin-action genre. 2020/21 has brought many surprises, but Bob Odenkirk is the latest to join this pantheon of middle-aged action greats. More familiar as Saul Goodman from the Breaking Bad universe (yes, I just said that), he has had a bountiful career, but his latest film Nobody is about to raise the stakes.

The film follows the ever so quiet Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk), a suburban dad, overlooked husband, nothing neighbour — a “nobody.” When two thieves break into his home one night, Hutch’s unknown long-simmering rage is ignited and propels him on a brutal path that will uncover dark secrets he fought to leave behind.

What seemed to be a simple movie that would only be passable was a colossal explosion of violence and non-stop thrills. Bob Odenkirk’s charm and understanding of his role are what truly elevates the film. As the film opens up, there is a sense of sadness that we can all relate to. Hutch is living the family life, but it has become mundane and dull. His seething jealousy for his neighbour rages inside him, and his marriage has lost its spark. We never indeed find out about Hutch’s past, and this is what makes the ride even better. Who is he? and what was his past life like?

Once his home is being robbed, we see this other side to Hutch. The rage monster is about to erupt, and as Pandora’s box opens, he takes no prisoners. On his odyssey for justice, we see the carnage of his repressed rage, and it almost feels like a symphony of pain and violence to all that stand in his way. Ilya Naishuller captures these moments with grace and grit. There is a scene on a bus where we see Hutch at his finest as he dances his way through the bodies in front of him.

Nobody carries a momentum that not many films of the genre can maintain. It picks up the pace and the adrenaline rush of it all but the sheer fascination of who Hutch Mansell is what elevates it. Odenkirk embraces every element of his character and maintains his usual comedic charm. There is a lot of grit to his persona, and it evokes itself within the film’s ambience. Usually, I’d be saying one film is enough, but I wanted more when I walked out of the film. The success of the film is evident, and Nobody is what the cinema is all about.