nobody

Goodness gracious, Peacock, eight ad breaks for a ninety minute movie? On top of a still ad popping up on screen every time you pause the movie?

I remember a couple of solid reviews popping up when this movie came out, but I feel like no one has really talked about it since. It looked like one of the dozen John Wick clones out there, but for some reason I got the vibe that Nobody was more than that. Upon checking it out for the first time, it’s not John Wick, but it definitely stands on its own right and even has a few elements that surpass it, if only slightly.

Nobody has an opening sixty seconds I really think will stick with me for a while. It's mysterious, eye-catching, ominous and completely visual, set to a perfect song and a cutesy Invincible-esque title card. Indeed, this opening really grabbed my attention in an unexpected way, and I'm happy to report the first act’s drip-fed plot points were really intriguing to me and made me want to keep watching. 

Then, the first act culminates, thankfully, in an absolutely amazing fight that's right up my alley. My type of action is close quarters, well-choreographed, no-holds-barred, impactful and realistic- in the sense that the combatants must follow the basic rules the audience understands going in based on the world and tone (in this case, the real world). The bus fight, all initially set without music to really let the sound effects shine, is a perfect fight based on my specific preferences. It's “realistic”, has its own mini story structure, and you can feel every brutal punch, you yourself flinching as the characters are struck or stabbed. And then he gets back on the bus too? Amazing stuff.

If you're unfamiliar with the premise of this movie, it is, in fact, a Wick clone, swapping a dog for a kitty cat bracelet. But there are some key differences I want to highlight. For one, Nobody has a much higher emphasis on characters actively looking for trouble, or “wish fulfillment”, as main character Hutch routinely displays a desire for his enemies to test him so he can have an excuse to go nuts. It's made for the people who fantasize about having their house broken into so they have a reason to shoot someone, a slightly different approach from John Wick’s revenge fantasy. Additionally, Nobody is only ninety minutes compared to the behemoth 2 hour 45 minute runtime of Wick’s best entry, Chapter 4. It moves at a clip thanks to fast paced editing, a benefit for many action fans who don't have time to sit through Keanu’s guns-blazing epics.

There are some actors working in Hollywood where you can't see the character when they're onscreen and only see the actor’s name in your head. And then there are some that completely envelope one particular role so intensely that you only see them as that character for the rest of their acting careers. Bob Odenkirk is one of those actors, and it's hard to remove Saul Goodman from your head, but once you do, you are treated to an extremely fine-tuned performance that solidifies Odenkirk as an action star for years to come. Unfortunately, he is kind of the only real performance in this movie. Eighty-something-year-old Christopher Lloyd is probably supposed to make me jump up and scream “go, grandpa, go”, but he just kinda didn't, and I don't know if anybody else dislikes Connie Nielsen, but this is the second time on this website I've criticized her work. Maybe I'm just not a fan, but she felt flat.

The dialogue needed touching up, especially from the Mansell family (continuing the age old Hollywood tradition of not knowing how kids and teenagers talk), and there were weird immersion-breaking instances of narration, but only, like twice, which makes me wonder what the point of including them was at all. Nobody also has one of my least favorite tropes, which is using “music you “wouldn't expect”” in an action scene, usually old-timey slower songs like "What a Wonderful World", which seems to be a trope in three of every ten movies I watch. 

My biggest complaint with this movie, though, is the contrasting styles of action. It starts out as realistic, brutal and impactful, exactly my kind of speed, then devolves into over-the-top blockbuster “Fast and Furious” style action extremely quickly. The Home Alone traps are painfully silly, and the final bomb on the plastic shield absurdity seemed to be imported from a different movie. I don't care which style you go with, but I wish they had made up their minds.

Nobody is a solid time, trading originality, consistency and a wholly talented cast for tight pacing and choreography, an intriguing plot and brutal action in an exciting wish-fulfilling package. It's more of an alternative to John Wick than a full ripoff, with just enough to justify checking out, especially for action fans. If this were to become a franchise, I'd say up the stakes of the plot while maintaining realistic and up-close action. That would be amazing.