Nobody

Despite my criticisms towards the third film, Warner Bros. really did strike gold with the John Wick films which have more sequels and a spin-off in the works which probably served as inspiration for Universal's action flick, Nobody, starring Bob Odenkirk. Here we have an unassuming middle-aged male trying to live a quiet life before trouble comes to their door and before long their skills from another life are brought back into action. Sound familiar? Regardless, I had heard positive news from this and Odenkirk's strong reputation as a reliable actor, I put this on excited to see what the fuss was about. 

The story here sees Odenkirk as Hutch Mansell, a family man with marriage problems, two kids and a job in a factory that is slowly eating him away. One day his family are robbed at gun point and this lights a fire inside him to take back control but this comes with some severe consequences. 

Running at barely 90 minutes, director, Ilya Naishuller, gets the film off to a strong start and takes the approach that might lead us towards something dark and gritty similar to Death Wish as Mansell tries to go about his revenge but then comes a surprising shift in tone that regrettably sees the film fall into something rather formulaic. It's here we see the foundations for sequels and spin-offs as we're introduced to characters played by Christopher Lloyd and RZA, who are all very entertaining, but it just doesn't fit the tone established in the first act making for a disjointed experience. 

Nobody is decent in places while supported by Odenkirk's good performance but a cliché antagonist and a forgettable second two acts see this fall short of its potential. Action fans will still find moments to enjoy but it never hits the heights seen in the first two John Wick films and isn't one I will make time to revisit.