'Nobody' review: Store brand 'John Wick'

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

It might be hard to take “Nobody” seriously at first glance. In the film’s opening frames we see a bruised and battered Bob Odenkirk explain to the police how he got involved in a bloody battle with the Russian mob and lived to tell the tale. You wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that the actor best known for expertly playing a mild-mannered lawyer in “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” would be an odd choice for an action hero. But Odenkirk sells it like his iconic TV character Saul Goodman, and for a movie as silly and over-the-top as “Nobody,” that push is all you really need to shut your brain off and have some fun.

The movie begins with suburban family man Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) repeating his weekly routine over and over (waking up, forgetting to take out the trash, riding the bus to a mundane job, etc.). Life is boring for Hutch but stable, and for him that’s good enough, even if he can feel his family’s emotional grasp slipping away.

But all of that changes when desperate robbers break in one night looking for easy cash while everyone is sleeping. Hutch gets the drop on the duo but lets them go, resulting in self-doubt and being emasculated in front of his family. That psychological itch keeps gnawing away until the pissed off dad snaps and goes full “Death Wish” avenger on these bad guys, with those issues eventually snowballing into new headaches with the Russian mob. It turns out Hutch has a secret past, as they all tend to do in these type of revenge movies, that includes violent training and suppression of a previous life. That would definitely explain the need to blend into the suburbs and the newfound bloodlust rising to the surface.

If “Nobody” sounds a lot to you like the “John Wick” movies it’s probably because screenwriter Derek Kolstad is responsible for both properties. He is the architect of the “John Wick” franchise and has watered-down his own movies to make a passable version here. Even the film’s marketing seems fully aware of the “Wick” connection and pays homage to the “John Wick Chapter 2” poster, with the film’s hero being surrounded by bad guys ready to attack (loaded guns in one poster, clenched fists in the other). Director Ilya Naishuller (“Hardcore Henry”) keeps the momentum going for most of “Nobody’s” run time but it eventually goes off the rails with a “Home Alone” inspired finale that pits Hutch and his equally skilled father (Christopher Lloyd) and adoptive brother (RZA) against a room full of gangsters. Regardless of that sloppy third act, “Nobody” remains a fun escape for action fans, that also serves as a snack while they wait for “John Wick Chapter 4” to be released.

Rating: B

“Nobody” is now playing in theaters and drive-ins.