NOBODY (2021) ****

With The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show, Bob Odenkirk proved he could do comedy.  With Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul he proved he could do drama.  With Nobody, Odenkirk proves he is a bona fide action star.  Is there anything this man can’t do?  

Nobody is a potpourri of action movie tropes expertly blended with the right amount of humor, heart, and thrills.  It contains elements of all the classics you love, John Wick, Taken, and Death Wish and pumps new blood into them.  It helps that the action sequences are exquisitely captured and choreographed, and the mayhem is brutal, bloody, and badass.  

Odenkirk stars as a meek family man eking out a dreary everyday existence.  One night, some home invaders break in and steal a couple of bucks, and he pretty much lets them go, which leads everyone around him to question his masculinity and role as protector to his family.  When he finds out the thieves also stole his daughter’s beloved kitty cat bracelet, he goes out on a quest for revenge.  Eventually, this leads to a tangle with the Russian Mob, which leads to an all-out one-man war.  

The escalation of events is part of the many joys of Nobody.  It kind of starts in one subgenre before dipping its toe into others.  By the time Odenkirk joins forces with his dad (Christopher Lloyd) and brother (RZA) to take down the Mob, it feels like something out of an Expendables movie.  In fact, this is the best action flick since The Expendables 2.  I mean, who needs Sly, Arnold, and Bruce when you have Bob Odenkirk, Christopher Lloyd, and RZA?  

Odenkirk’s mild-mannered performance is the glue that holds it all together.  With a glint of the eye, he turns from family man to psycho.  You might not think he can do some of these incredible action feats, but that’s exactly what the villains are thinking too.  They learn the same lesson as the audience:  Do not underestimate Bob Odenkirk.

The scene where he vents his frustrations on a bus load of punks is a thing of beauty.  It helps that guys like Daniel Bernhardt and Alain Moussi are among the punks he beats up as they lend an intimidating presence.  The fact that Odenkirk can hold his own with them and seem like a credible menace to them says it all.  

Director Ilya (Hardcore Henry) Naishuller gets all the credit in the world for keeping the action concise, clear, and crisp throughout.  I think we have finally turned a corner from the shaky-cam action of the ‘00s, but it must be stated when a director films the action in a fluid, breathtaking manner.  Even the close-quarters stuff (like the epic bus beatdown) is captured in such a way that you can see the major players and know the geography of the space they’re fighting in.  The shootouts are just as good as the hand-to-hand stuff.  The finale, which implements some Home Alone on steroids booby traps, is a thing of beauty.  

Action aficionados need to hop on this one.  I truly hope this becomes a franchise.  The world will be a better place if we can watch Bob Odenkirk beating up the scum of the earth every two or three years.