Nobody is due to hit the big screen any day now, with Bob Odenkirk set to channel John Wick more than Saul Goodman in the action-packed thriller. He plays Hutch, a mild-mannered family man who fails to protect his wife (Connie Nielsen) and kids when their home is broken into. The incident awakens some suppressed skills and shines a light on some dark secrets – Hutch, it turns out, is not who he appears to be. Directed by Russian musician and filmmaker Ilya Naishuller, the script was written by Derek Kolstad, co-creator of the aforementioned Mr. Wick franchise. The movie also stars rapper RZA, Back to the Future's Christopher Lloyd, and Top Gun's Michael Ironside.
Now, the critics have had their say and the reviews are mainly positive, with a lot of praise for Odenkirk's performance. Below, we’ve rounded up the major reviews of Nobody, so you can get a taste of what’s to expect.
IGN
Don’t get on Bob Odenkirk’s bad side. That’s the entirety of both text and subtext in the Better Call Saul star’s new action vehicle Nobody – and I’m here for it. From his origins in sketch comedy with The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show to his dramatic work on Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Odenkirk’s transition into a pissed-off, ass-kicking old man in the Charles Bronson/Liam Neeson mold feels both unexpected and entirely appropriate. And it’s just one of the many joys of this delightfully funny, deliriously violent, endlessly engaging action spectacle. Read the full review here.
The Hollywood Reporter
Surprise player Bob Odenkirk enters the middle-aged action hero game in Nobody, Ilya Naishuller's John Wick-y take on the protect-my-family picture. Taking itself much less seriously than the Taken series and its predecessors, it's a wish-fulfillment romp just as ludicrous as any of them but more fun than most. Just self-aware enough to let a discerning action fan forgive its extremes (including some RED-like geezers-with-guns mayhem near the end), the worst thing you can say about it is this: It's satisfying enough that it could spawn sequels, possibly distracting its star from the plum dramatic roles he deserves after his brilliant work on Better Call Saul. Read the full review here.
AV Club
Make no mistake, this is pure caveman bullshit. Yet it’s caveman bullshit made with style and wit, qualities that extend from its screenplay to its performances to its staging. There’s a good running gag of Hutch easing into a monologue about his dark past, only to discover that the mortally wounded henchmen he’s addressing have died already. We get Michael Ironside glowering as the aforementioned father-in-law, RZA literally phoning in some cool as Hutch’s contact to the old ways, and Leviathan star Aleksey Serebryakov having a flamboyant good time as the Russian heavy with a yen for karaoke. Read the full review here.
Entertainment Weekly
The charm should be watching a somewhat regular guy like Odenkirk pulling these world-is-my-weapon moves. A curious problem is that the actor looks great: middle-aged fit, gaze steely, stubble well-attended, clothes that make his slim frame look like a bullet ready to fire. I don't think it spoils too much to say that Hutch has a secret past. Once it's revealed, the film becomes just another bloodfest about a highly effective action guy with a very particular set of skills, fighting off one wave of henchmen after another. Read the full review Read the full review here.
Variety
The plot of Nobody is, in a word, preposterous, but Odenkirk’s conviction makes it work, as does the deranged twist of having Hutch team up with his retired FBI agent father (Christopher Lloyd) and adoptive brother (RZA). The movie is all about how Hutch, beneath his safe and colorless life, has to get back in touch with who he really is. And maybe that’s a metaphor for the way a lot of middle-class nobodies feel. It would be overstating things, though, to push the meaning of a thriller like this one too far. It’s just a cardboard fable. But when the ultraviolence erupts, the movie pops. Read the full review Read the full review here.
Nobody is released in theaters on March 26. In the meantime, check out of the other upcoming movies to get excited about this year.
