This sequel may lack the surprise or inventiveness of the original, but it’s still a great action comedy carried by another charismatic and convincing action performance from Bob Odenkirk.

Premise: Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) has fallen back into his old life as a black-ops government agent, but he’s now struggling to balance his work with his commitments to his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) and their two kids. Seizing the opportunity to reconnect during a family vacation, Hutch is determined to ‘make memories’ – but soon his addiction to violence puts him in conflict with a corrupt Sheriff (Colin Hanks) and a local smuggler (Sharon Stone).

Review:

I have to say that I loved the first Nobody when it came out in 2021, and I’ve rewatched it several times since then. So with that in mind, I think it’s fair to say that, objectively, Nobody 2 is not quite as good for a number of reasons. For one, it suffers the main problem that many sequels face, which is that it’s lost its element of surprise because we now know Hutch Mansell’s (Bob Odenkirk) secret and what he’s capable of. Whereas great sequels (like John Wick: Chapter 2) find ways to expand the first film’s mythology in new directions, Nobody 2 very much follows the same structure and story beats as the first film – Hutch is struggling to connect with his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) and their two kids, a bunch of bad guys inadvertently mess with the wrong mild-manner middle-aged man, Hutch finds himself unable to resist the urge to surrender to his addiction to violence, and all hell is unleashed.

So it would be completely fair to say that if you enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) the first film, Nobody 2 is essentially just more of the same. But that said ... more of a good thing isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Yes, the film could have taken more risks and tried to shake up the formula a bit, but what we have is still a tonne of fun (and a lot better than many other action comedies out that – including the superficially similar Love Hurts from earlier this year). Nobody 2 perhaps leans into the comedy a bit more than the first film, and it kept me chuckling throughout, while the action sequences continued to impress – especially given that Bob Odenkirk is now 62 and still completely convinces in a series of brutal (if tongue-in-cheek) fight scenes. An extended action sequence set in a holiday amusement park encapsulates the film’s melding of inventive action and comedic elements perfectly.

“…Bob Odenkirk’s great in every scene…”

The film balances the action and comedy with a few more character-based elements – particularly focused on Hutch’s difficult relationship with violence. In the first film, Hutch came across like an addict who’d been living in complete abstinence for years, who then ‘falls of the wagon’ and goes on a massive bender to overcompensate. We saw that Hutch couldn’t say no to the violence once he was (finally) presented with an opportunity to unleash his repressed nature, which was a nice flaw that distinguished him from other characters like John Wick or Robert McCall. In Nobody 2, we see that Hutch is still an addict who can’t deal with violence ‘in moderation’ – despite that fact that he’s back to killing for the government as his day job (to repay the debt he owes as a result of the events of the first film), it’s still not enough to satisfy his cravings – and at the slightest provocation he still loses his temper and his self-control. In an interesting touch, whereas in the first film the first time Hutch unleashes himself he has the excuse that it’s to save the girl being harassed on the bus, in Nobody 2 the danger has already passed when Hutch first goes back to unleash his particular skill set on a bunch of locals.

Of course, the Nobody films aren’t trying to be psychological character dramas in the vein of A History of Violence – they're just trying to be a bit of fun, and so some viewers may be a little frustrated that elements like Hutch’s lack of self-control, or the effect that his behaviour is having on his son Brady, don’t really go anyway in the grand scheme of things. But I appreciated the fact that the film at least touches on these issues as part of a popcorn action comedy, as it all adds a bit more colour to the film’s tone.

“…I had fund spending time with these characters…”

This is (again) unquestionably Bob Odenkirk’s film, and he’s great in every scene he’s in. It’s clear that the filmmakers also wanted to give Connie Nielsen a bit more to do this time, but those elements aren’t quite as effective (although, again, it’s nice to see that she’s never reduced to a ‘damsel in distress’ role). The always-watchable Colin Salmon is given a little more to do this time around as Hutch’s government handler, but Christopher Lloyd’s and RZA’s returns seem to be the result of a ‘the gang’s all here’ approach to the sequel (although RZA does get one very cool action sequence and kiss-off line).

In terms of the new characters, Colin Hanks is pretty effective as a corrupt sheriff (with a terrible haircut) who’s stuck in a ‘middle management’ role in the local organised crime ring, while John Ortiz gets to do something a bit different here as the business man who runs the holiday town where the Mansell family come to visit. Unfortunately, despite having a memorable introduction scene, Sharon Stone doesn’t really get enough material to make her villain, Lendina, as memorable or as entertaining as Aleksei Serebryakov’s villain, Yulian, was in the first film.

“…leans into the comedy more, while the action continues to impress…”

If you’re not a particular fan of the first film, I think that objectively, Nobody 2 is probably a 3-star film, as it’s a fun action comedy even if it plays it safe and doesn’t break the mould. But if (like me) you loved the first film, this sequel probably earns the extra star simply because of the affection I already have for these characters, and the fun I had spending another couple of hours in their company.