“Who the hell are you?” asks an incredulous officer, watching Hutch (Bob Odenkirk), with a scratched and bloody face, lights a cigarette, opens a can of tuna and feeds the kitten nestled in his jacket – all handcuffed. Hutch is at a police station being questioned about something that will be revealed. He replies, “I am .-” before the title card “Nobody” flashes on the screen.
Written by Derek Kolstad (“John Wick”, which he looks like) and directed by Ilya Naishuller (“Hardcore Henry”), “Nobody” has an aggressive sleep – one of those little films that comes out of nowhere and surprises viewers. Perhaps not surprising, given that this darkly funny action movie is about a man of good-natured family who reaches a “totally different level of recklessness” after a series of unfortunate incidents.
Odenkirk is perfectly cast for the title character, who is actually less tame and more Jason Statham than people might expect. The whole movie may be an extended riff on that joke, but it’s a pretty funny joke. When two thieves break into his house one night – a pizza box at the garage door gives them access – Hutch is reluctant to knock them over with a golf club, despite having the perfect opportunity to do so. “I wanted to keep the damage to a minimum,” he counters when asked why he has exercised restraint. Given that his home was later destroyed, this is a sarcastic understatement.
It turns out that the thieves escaped with just a few dollars in cash, but also, possibly, a valuable asset belonging to Hutch’s daughter, Abby (Paisley Cadorath). This makes Hutch track down the perpetrators and undoubtedly demand the most cited line in the film: “Give me the damn kitty bracelet, sons of bitches!”
But Hutch’s night is barely over. On the way home, by bus, he comes across five Russians. Hutch warns viewers that things are going to get ugly when he says, “I hope you like hospital food,” and then begins dispatching the men in a series of increasingly unpleasant confrontations. “Nobody” shies away from showing pain, and viewers will shudder and laugh at the same time with the film’s cheerful and comic violence. Watching Hutch smash Teddy Kuznetsov’s (Aleksandr Pal) trachea is horrible, but it’s hilarious that he’s attentive enough to do a tracheotomy on his victim so he doesn’t let her die. Hutch even apologizes to the bus driver for the mess.
Unfortunately, Teddy is Yulian’s younger brother (Alexey Serebryakov), a “financed, connected sociopath” who kills a man to prove he is tough and throws chairs at people when he wants answers. Yulian is upset that his brother cannot walk again and demands justice. What happens is a heavy urination contest.
“Nobody” quickly turns into a series of repeated sequences, where Hutch faces off against a handful of Yulian’s bloodthirsty thugs. These scenes provide a video game vibe – especially when Hutch is in the supine position, driving backwards, in traffic in a white 1972 Challenger with 4.9-liter V8 engine. But even the most exaggerated scenes are fun to watch because Odenkirk’s expressions are dryly amusing. It generates laughter just by setting fire to money.
Consider a scene in which Hutch enters a tattoo parlor and shows some money to get the team’s attention. They threaten him, except for an old, wise guy who runs out, locks the door and wishes everyone good luck. The film is filled with these kinds of disposable moments, like a scene in which Hutch’s father David (Christopher Lloyd) manages to deal with a situation that arises one night in his retirement home. It may be ample humor and violence, but Lloyd takes it forward with his characteristic brilliance. Unfortunately, very little is said about Hutch’s brother Harry (RZA), who is first heard as a disembodied voice, but then helps Hutch in his battles.
The film takes a moment to stop and think like when Hutch tells his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen, largely drunk) that she would like things to be different and better between them. And he gets a decent speech when he tells a story from his past in Italy to a trio of men who tried (and failed) to kill him. Odenkirk seems to appreciate his mercurial role and his joy is contagious.
This fast and efficient film has a captivating soundtrack. and it’s fun, albeit artificial, to listen to “I’ve Gotta Be Me” or “The Impossible Dream” while Hutch takes care of business. Unfortunately, “Nobody” runs the risk of viewers becoming agitated or bored when moving from one action sequence to another. The final confrontation of the film, epic and moved by fire, is satisfying or stultifying.
“Nobody” opens in theaters on March 26.