PIC of the Week – Nobody
Article Series by Ray Schillaci
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment introduces us to Nobody. Arnold, Sly, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, John Cena, move over. There is a new action star in town…Bob Odenkirk? That’s right, that shlep from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul shows the darker side of funny while kicking ass left and right. This movie is full of surprises, over-the-top violence, an odd sense of humor and wonderful performances. So, fasten your seatbelts as you turn down the lights and crank up the sound with this raucous good time.
Odenkirk plays Hutch, typical married guy with two kids living in the suburbs in one heckuva rut as he punches in and out of work, misses taking the garbage out and has minimal communication with his kids and wife. Hutch does not like to make waves. He sticks to routine until he and his family experience a home invasion. Even then, his teenage son shows more courage than he does until word gets around and it eats at him. When his daughter is missing a kitty bracelet, he believes the thieves are responsible.
That’s the last draw. Hutch snaps and looks for trouble and he greets it with a warm and happy welcome as he takes on several Russian thugs in a bus. That fight sequence alone left me aghast as to how much brutality Hutch is willing to take and dish out. And, just when you think it’s over, director Ilya Naishuller gives you a second glorious helping of head bashing in closed quarters that has rarely been seen.
Naishuller is the Russian director who unleashed all sorts of hell on the screen with Hardcore Henry, that had the named character’s POV throughout the film, resurrected, fighting to save his wife from a telekinetic warlord planning to create bio-engineered soldiers. The director’s vision was fast and furious without the aid of souped up cars. That same frantic energy is in Nobody, but not without a fun time and tender moments as well.
Hutch ends up angering a flamboyantly psychotic Russian mob boss, Yulian Kuznetsov, and the games begin. But, both men are warned of each other and neither flinch even though some wish to stay out of such a meeting of two very dangerous minds. When Yulian discovers that his brother is one of the unfortunate ones in the bus skirmish and left in the hospital near dead, the Russian gives the word to his peeps and has them pay a visit to Hutch’s home and his father who lives in a retirement home.
This just pisses off Hutch and he is determined to hit Yulian where it hurts. What comes next is pure insanity. The whole film is a fun blast in large part due to Odenkirk and Christopher Lloyd who plays his father. Lloyd has not been this entertaining since Back to the Future, and Odenkirk pulls off his best John Wick/Clint Eastwood impression tearing up the screen and making me laugh during the most violent of moments.
I’ve seen both the 4K and Blu, and due to the grain issue making the movie look like a film from the ’70s I do not see a big push to recommend the 4K. There seems to be a problem in darker scenes, but the Blu does not exaggerate it as much. I’m not sure if this is an authoring issue or just the look that the filmmaker was going for. The more subdued scenes with Hutch’s family are warm and inviting. But, the Russian club scenes are hard on the eyes with the glaring images that are thrust upon us.
Audio-wise, the 4K fares much better with its Dolby Atmos sound with its distinctive loudness with action scenes and clear dialogue. Quieter moments do very well with all the subtleties from a quiet neighborhood to tender moments with Hutch and his wife. The big plus here is the enjoyable soundtrack that specializes in accentuating action sequences.
While not getting very deep, the bonuses are fun to watch. Seeing how dedicated Odenkirk was to training gives you a whole new appreciation for the actor. What follows is definitely worth watching…
• Deleted Scenes
• HUTCH HITS HARD – How Bob Odenkirk trained to bring his character “Hutch Mansell” to life.
• BREAKING DOWN THE ACTION (Bus Fight, Home Invasion, Car Chase and Tool & Die Sequences) – A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the film’s explosive set pieces.
• JUST A NOBODY – A look at the personal beginning of the story for Bob Odenkirk and the unique style and sensibility that director Ilya Naishuller brought to the film.
• Feature commentary with actor/producer Bob Odenkirk and director Ilya Naishuller
• Feature commentary with director Ilya Naishuller
It should be noted that writer Derek Kolstad (John Wick) elaborated Odenkirk’s original idea and proves to be a perfect blend with the director and star. Connie Nielsen as Hutch’s wife is genuinely touching and brings an earthiness to the whole affair while Lloyd, Rza and Aleksey Serebryakov as Yulian take crazy to giddy heights. Action fans will love this movie while the rom-com audience will probably want to skip it. In other words, I loved this movie while my wife opted for another round of Dateline and Friends.
Lowest Price – 4K – $27.96 – Amazon & Walmart
Blu – $22.96 – Walmart
Visit Ray’s blog at themonsterinmyhead.com
