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CINEMA
PROPERTY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
Movie Review
CASUAL
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Published: 03.22.21
MPAA: R
Genre: Action. Crime. Drama.
NOBODY is a hell of a ride
RELEASE: 03.26.21
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NOBODY (2021)
OPENING THOUGHTS:
Nobody is an action film starring Bob Odenkirk, written by the John Wick trilogy scribe Derek Kolstad, and directed by Hardcore Henry’s Ilya Naishuller. It instantly caught my interest with the involvement of Odenkirk in an action film, but then the realization that Kolstad and Naishuller were also on board resulted in quite the killer combination.
DIRECTION:
If you’ve seen Naishuller’s 2015 film Hardcore Henry then you know that this man loves to make some seriously insane choices when it comes to his direction. Nobody is his return to feature filmmaking, and while it’s not as insane as Hardcore Henry, it’s much more enjoyable to rewatch. Naishuller seems to be in more control of his ideas here, and assisted by Kolstad’s carefully crafted screenplay, Nobody is a hell of a ride.
PLOT:
Scribe Derek Kolstad wrote the John Wick trilogy and incorporated all the elements we love about that franchise here, of course excluding Keanu Reeves and adding Bob Odenkirk. Odenkirk portrays a retired Government Auditor who’s attempting to live a normal 9 to 5 lifestyle until a break in at his home causes him to go back to his old violent ways. Sometimes simple is best, and Nobody is a perfect example of this. It's a clever action film that understands how to build the audience up for a good finale.
ACTING | CHARACTERS | DIALOGUE:
Bob Odenkirk is an astounding casting choice as Hutch Mansell, being no stranger to pretending to be a decent man that participates in criminal activity; it was fantastic to see the man we know so well as Saul Goodman actually get in on the action. Connie Nielsen, Michael Ironside, RZA, Billy MacLellan and my personal favorite Christopher Lloyd, all play memorable supporting roles to our lead. Lloyd is reason enough for action fans to skip the trailers and go into this one as blind as possible. The weakest part of the film is the villain, Yulian Kuznetsov played by Aleksey Serebryakov, he’s the typical Russian bad guy. Everything he does is to be evil with no other motivation behind them and that’s fine in a story of revenge like this, but on the other hand he could have been so much more. Nonetheless Yulian’s form of extreme violence is gold, including one of the few riveting interactions we receive between Yulian and Hutch close to the film’s action packed conclusion.
VISUAL EFFECTS | MAKEUP | DESIGN:
Nobody is wonderfully brutal, and Naishuller’s execution is stunning. It had me grinning from ear to ear on first watch and continuously smirking on my second. There’s one scene in particular that stands out among the rest with the director’s charismatic execution, and it all takes place within a public bus - the film is stylish from the get-go, but this scene is where you’ll be completely hooked.
MUSIC | SCORE | SOUND DESIGN:
There are so many great choices with the music here; it perfectly amplifies the action and helps us groove with the characters’ decisions. David Buckley’s composition really activates the adrenaline in your system as Odenkirk gets ready to kick some serious ass.
CLOSING THOUGHTS:
Films like Nobody surged in the late 2000s with Taken being the one that gained the most public attention, taking Liam Neeson from dramatic actor to action star. However, similar to the Taken sequels, the idea of bringing a middle age actor and having them switch from the genre they’re known for (usually into action) gets old quickly when it's done carelessly. That’s why it was such a relief with how well executed Nobody is. It’s difficult to capture the spark that produced the largely entertaining and highly energetic John Wick franchise, or even the chaotic nature of Hardcore Henry, but here we are. To put it simply, Nobody has managed to capture lightning in a bottle.
NOBODY opens in theaters Friday, March 26
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CONCLUSIVE VERDICT:
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