It takes a certain confidence for a sequel to know exactly what it is and refuse to be anything more. For me, that’s why Nobody 2 works. Director Timo Tjahjanto’s follow-up to the 2021 hit doubles down on lean pacing, bruising set pieces, and wry humor. It’s unpretentious and blood-soaked amusement-park- level escapism. Husband, father, and killing machine Hutch Mansell, played by Bob Odenkirk is determined to reconnect with his family on a low-key vacation in the Wisconsin tourist town of Plummerville. Like many midlife fantasies, he wants to relive happy times from his childhood with his family. Let’s face it though, his childhood was not typical. So why would he expect his findest childhood memory to match up? For Hutch, relaxation is out of the question. Soon Hutch finds himself squaring off against a corrupt theme-park mogul, played by John Ortiz, a slimy sheriff, played by Colin Hanks, and a sadistic mob boss, played by a gleefully unhinged Sharon Stone. The plot is paper-thin, but that’s okay. It’s a scaffolding for the grinning mayhem needed to forget how messed up reality is.
Odenkirk remains the series’ secret weapon. He doesn’t play Hutch as a swaggering action hero but as an everyman who can’t help but step in when injustice rears its head. His sighs of resignation before unleashing bone-crunching violence are perfect dad moments, like when I have to tie my daughter’s shoes in the morning or constantly pour out partially drunk cups of milk. The only difference is I’m not actively creating mass casualty events. Watching him dispatch thugs with brutal efficiency and awkward ingenuity is pure popcorn delight. The family vacation includes his wife, played by Connie Nielsen, kids, played by Gage Munroe, and Paisley Cadorath, and even his father, played by Christopher Lloyd. They all get their own moment to shine.
The carnage is inventive and extra bloody with a booby-trapped amusement park that plays like a savage and deranged Kevin in Home Alone: No one forgets me and lives. By the way I would watch that unironically and have it right next to my copy of Sharknado.
If the characters and themes are only lightly sketched, the film compensates with sheer energy. There’s a sly commentary on Hutch’s inability to truly escape his violent past, but Nobody 2 never lets subtext get in the way of entertainment. It’s fast, it’s bloody, it’s ridiculous—and it’s exactly what a late-summer action sequel should be. Nobody 2 is a violent crowd-pleaser, anchored by Bob Odenkirk as an unlikely action hero. It doesn’t aim for depth … it aims for the jugular, and hits its target. A very fun 7/10.
