FILM REVIEW: "Nobody" gives Saul Goodman fists of fury
The John Wick franchise has paved the way for the modern action flick; though the ever-extravagant Fast & Furious franchise keeps trying to one-up themselves on spectacle (I hear they’re going to space in the next one), the Wickian approach has led to a more lowkey, brutal and fulfilling experience.
Nobody is written and produced by the good folks behind the John Wick franchise, and it shows. The film follows Hutch Mansell, a middle-aged chump down on his luck, and harbouring a deadly secret. After a series of unfortunate events lead Hutch to expose his more dangerous side, he falls head-first into a world of brutal mobsters.
First and foremost, Bob Odenkirk absolutely shines as Hutch. Odenkirk is as charismatic as they come, and after nearly 11 years of watching him play the smooth-talking sleazebag lawyer, Saul Goodman, it's fantastic to see him throw a punch. Odenkirk fits the role of middle-aged chump, he's no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stalone pretending to be mild-mannered before life throws them a curveball and they tear the sleeves off their shirts. He's believable in his nuances and patheticness, and just as believable when push turns to shove. I cannot stress how fun it is to watch Saul Goodman beat the ever-loving crap out of nameless punks. Especially the films first (and best) fight scene aboard a parked bus, jam-packed with humour, horror and style.
Hutch is aided and abetted by a range of characters, most notably Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), as Hutch's Western-loving father who doesn't mind a shootout, and RZA of Wu-Tang Clan as Hutch's hidden friend, passing messages from the criminal underground. Though Aleskey Serebryakov (Leviathon) has fun as the Karaoke loving mafia boss, his character falls too far into cliche and ultimately ends up as a disposable villain without much threat.
Hutch's detour into psychopath runs for a brief hour and thirty minutes, it could have used a few extra scenes to set the steps in place, but it grabs its premise by the throat and runs a hurdle. Nobody is the second feature by Ilya Naishuller, whose first feature, Hardcore Henry, was an impressive action film but a stomach churning descent into First Person cinema. Naishuller has learnt from his mistakes and presents Nobody with a crisp, clean and understandable vision.
Capturing the violence is Pawel Pogorzelski, whose previous work on Ari Asters Hereditary & Midsommar, doesn’t exactly set him up as a blockbuster action camera-man, however, Pogorzelski’s work elevates the film beyond bland and serviceable to look at, imploring artistic talent that creates impressive sequences, often not in the heat of the moment.
It can't be denied that Nobody is entertaining: what it lacks in originality it makes up for with sheer entertainment value. There's no doubt that Nobody will gain a legacy and (hopefully) a franchise akin to John Wick.
Nobody is pure pop-corn choking. The hits are hard, the humour leads to cackles, and the violence leads to gasps. Odenkirk is remarkably well suited in the role of action star. It’s fast, efficient, and proves that you don’t need massive set-pieces to deliver white-knuckle action sequences. Whilst we wait for Better Call Saul's final season, why not watch Saul Goodman break a few noses?
4 out of 5 stars
