Nobody 2 – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Nobody 2 – A Summer of Action & Blood … It is a Family Vacation

In the wake of sunshine and travel, we all remember those summer vacations.  As a child, embarking into unknown adventures brought about joy and unforgettable memories.  These captured moments are etched into stories worth retelling, especially in films.  The idea of summer vacation is a staple of many genres, but to thrust it into obscurity is a creative risk.  If done right, the blending indifference can become a fun escape.  In this review, I look at the latest sequel to hit the big screen.  From a simple premise, Nobody 2 becomes a familial escape of a bloody vacation of fun.    

Trying to take a break as a lethal assassin, Hutch Mansell’s (Bob Odenkirk) family vacation plans go off the rails.  For the sake of his wife and kids, he will have to dive into his deadly ways to protect his family … at all costs.  Action films are a mixed bag of over-the-top moments, crass situations and heroic like payoffs.  No matter what kind of action you deliver, to stand out from the crowd becomes a manner of recognizing your foundation … but providing a spin of ‘fun’ in your own drive.  With this sequel, it isn’t a reinvention of genre but a deliverance of the familiar.  In the beginning, we are reintroduced to Hutch, a lethal assassin who is also a run-of-the-mill suburban dad.  His dueling lives of being a ‘dad’ and a ‘killer’ becomes the catalyst for this film: to reconnect with his family, he plans a summer vacation to a place he visited as a kid; Plummerville.  As they embark on this trip, the family bonding time is flipped upside down.  The innocence of theme parks and arcades he remembered (as a kid), is uncovered to be a front of a criminal organization.  Through circumstance and convenient plot devices, Hutch get’s pulled into this world of corruption, deciding that he should upend everything … for the sake of his family.  From these general introductions and world-building, we are thrust into an action-filled journey that is overlaid with thematic ideas of fatherhood, family and rekindling.  This sequel doesn’t try to spin with any convoluted plot threads; it builds upon its simple premise to drive the fun that is rehashed by the ‘obscurity’ of a middle-aged father that is (in this world) a deadly killer.  This contrast provides the fun allure towards moments that are driven by typical action sequences, explosions and last second saves.  For all the cliché archetypal characters that are introduced (view the actor/actress list on the film’s IMdb Page – link), it is through Hutch that drives a layered perspective that creates an enjoyment along a predictable tale of ‘wrong place … wrong time’.

As the action filled bonanza slowly builds, the twist and turns of the criminal backbone builds through tonal shifts that are fun but obvious.  As things are driven through action clichés, the onus of the fun factor is the levity provided by Hutch and his family.  This dynamic ensnares the audience, a purposeful grip that has you rooting for the good guys to ‘save’ this town and ‘stop’ the bad guys at all costs.  As all the players are set into place on the chessboard, we head into a third act that is a clustering of crazed explosions, over-the-top gun play and a ninja like action sequence.  This leads to a heroic like climax and full circle epilogue.  Nobody 2 is an action film that delivers the fun you expect.  If you are a fan of the original or love action films, there is fun to be had.  For everyone else, this can be a fun film to see on the big screen. 

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)