“Nobody 2” returns Hutch Mansell to the screen, this time on a supposed vacation, only to drag him straight into mayhem that feels less like a surprise and more like a rerun of what they knew already worked. 

Characterization

Bob Odenkirk, who in the first film surprised both critics and audiences by becoming an average assassin, delivered again with a committed physicality and stonewalled resilience. But the film around him, directed by Timo Tjahjanto, lacks the same shock of the original, which makes it feel more like a copy and paste than an action packed film.

In “Nobody,” part of the delight came from knowing that it was merely about a suburban dad unleashing an otherwise completely concealed violence when faced with high pressure situations. In this sequel, that entire novelty is gone. The narrative finds Mansell in debt and taking his family to some shabby theme park, where hidden killers await them, one of the villains (Sharon Stone) portraying an act that I could only describe as joyous sadism. 

Substandard Setting

The overall setting is odd, there aren’t really any stakes and much of the set feels alike to the rest, or even the previous film. The scene with the duck boats feels very similar to the bus fight in “Nobody”, with barrels of cash and explosives doing nothing but sitting in a warehouse, almost as if the script forces them to be there.

However, whenever there is an ounce of action in this film, my god, does it work. The choreography is comparable to that of the “John Wick” series, the fight scenes are full of carnage and at times can be a bit graphic. Odenkirk proves he can still be the center of an action picture while also possessing an unusual charm.

Misses the Mark

Despite the slight hits of dopamine that “Nobody 2” gave me during those gnarly scenes, it spends much of its minutes reminding us of its predecessor rather than creating something new. A much deeper theme, violence as a legacy and family trauma that is a long shadow of one’s past, creates hints that there might’ve been some level of ambition with the overall plot, but it fails. Any resemblance of a villain is drowned like a flightless bird by the cartoony nature of the film. The thin plot does not provide much assistance to this theme. 

In the world of summer time action films, the sequel does do better than others. It’s a relatively short film, only being around 89 minutes long, but it knows what it wants to be and for viewers that enjoyed the first film, it delivers. But when judged by only the standard that was set for it by the first film, it comes up relatively short.

The Bottom Line
“Nobody 2” is a competent film, providing an entertaining, yet short plot with a very strong lead actor, but it lacks “spice,” that element of surprise, or emotional depth, that really made the first film stand out. But for the fans just seeking to relive the first film, it more than accomplishes that. For those who were looking for a real story, it may fade as quickly as the next car explosion.