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A docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss. A docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss. A docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss.

• Ilya Naishuller
• Derek Kolstad
• Bob Odenkirk
• Aleksey Serebryakov
• Connie Nielsen
• 2.4K User reviews
• 290 Critic reviews
• 64 Metascore
• 5 wins & 18 nominations

• Hutch Mansell

• Yulian Kuznetsov
• (as Alexey Serebryakov)

• Becca Mansell

• David Mansell

• Eddie Williams

• Harry Mansell

• Charlie Williams

• Brady Mansell
• Sammy Mansell

• Teddy Kuznetsov

• Lupita Martin

• Luis Martin

• Pentagon Darren
• (as JP Manoux)

• Hitman Anatoly

• Hitman Valentin
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia Based on an idea by Bob Odenkirk , who dealt with a home invasion himself by trapping the trespassers in the basement. He was frustrated with how the authorities dealt with the situation and had thought about how he would take the matter into his own hands if he "was a badass."
• Goofs When Hutch gets his brother's text message telling him to go see the barber, his face can be seen in close-up with no scars whatsoever. Next shot, when he arrives at the barber's, his scars are back.

Hutch Mansell : You brought a lot of shotguns.

David Mansell : You brought a lot of Russians.

• Crazy credits There is a bonus scene during the credits in which Hutch's dad David (Christopher Lloyd) and his brother Harry (RZA), are driving in a camper van loaded with weapons.
• Connections Featured in Evening Urgant: Efim Shifrin/Ilya Naishuller (2021)
• Soundtracks Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood Written by Bennie Benjamin , Gloria Caldwell , Sol Marcus Performed by Nina Simone Courtesy of The Verve Music Group Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User reviews 2.4K

• paul_haakonsen
• Aug 29, 2021
• How long is Nobody? Powered by Alexa
• Does this movie take place in the John Wick Universe?
• What does the card tatoo on Hutch's wrist mean?
• The guy in the last tattoo parlor, who recognizes the card tattoo on Hutch's wrist looks a lot like Cillian Murphy. Especially the way his makeup was done like his role in A Quiet Place part 2. He has piercing eyes. Did he have an uncredited role?
• March 26, 2021 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official Instagram
• Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Eighty Two Films
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $16,000,000 (estimated)
• $27,568,035
• Mar 28, 2021
• $57,510,518

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 32 minutes
• Dolby Atmos

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Nobody Review

Bob odenkirk goes full john wick..

Don’t get on Bob Odenkirk’s bad side. That’s the entirety of both text and subtext in the Better Call Saul star’s new action vehicle Nobody – and I’m here for it.

From his origins in sketch comedy with The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show to his dramatic work on Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Odenkirk’s transition into a pissed-off, ass-kicking old man in the Charles Bronson/Liam Neeson mold feels both unexpected and entirely appropriate. And it’s just one of the many joys of this delightfully funny, deliriously violent, endlessly engaging action spectacle.

Directed by Ilya Naishuller, Nobody stars Oedenkirk as Hutch Mansell, a regular working stiff who feels boxed-in by the predictable monotony of his workaday existence: A nice house where he keeps forgetting to take out the trash, a beautiful wife (Connie Nielsen) who he rarely sees, and a job working for in-laws (Michael Ironside, Billy MacLellan) who don’t particularly respect him, all while occasionally popping in to visit his retired-FBI agent dad (Christopher Lloyd).

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It’s a life of perfect suburban anonymity, but things quickly change for Hutch when two burglars break into his house in the middle of the night, prompting a confrontation and quest for restitution. Before long, he’s caught up in a series of cascading calamities involving Russian mobsters with millions of dollars at stake, exploding houses, and oh, so much blood spraying in oh, so many directions. That it’s orchestrated by the man who helmed Hardcore Henry six years ago is the least surprising thing about any of it.

Of course, it’s not like the premise itself is anything new. When you think about it, the “decent guy who’s had enough” subgenre has provided a fruitful vein for both serious and exploitation fare for everyone from the aforementioned Bronson and his storied Death Wish franchise in the ‘70s and ‘80s to Michael Douglas in 1993’s excellent Falling Down. It’s a scenario offering easy, cathartic engagement as we place ourselves in similar situations and imagine, “What if…”

In that sense, Odenkirk is probably one of the most perfect actors in awhile to inhabit these tropes, with his well-established everyman persona and rumpled appearance allowing for audience identification and, eventually, some genuine surprises as our presumptions are challenged. That the script is by John Wick writer Derek Kolstad will inevitably bring to mind Keanu Reeves' invincible assassin, but Odenkirk’s very presence in the lead role, and the very normalcy he represents, serves as a visual reminder this movie is doing something different.

Instead, we’re pulled into the character’s headspace. The early montages depicting Hutch’s everyday drudgery will have us relating to him even as we actually know very little about him. And the process of seeing our presumptions confirmed or challenged over the ensuing 90 minutes makes the experience fruitful, squeezing out a lot of twists even as it goes through what could have become some pretty rote paces.

There are some superficial echoes – in both content and tone – of the recent Equalizer movies starring Denzel Washington, but unlike those entries (neither of which really landed for me) there’s a deftness of touch in Nobody as it balances satire with seriousness in a way that arouses genuine laughter at some of the situations without ever losing its grip on the actual stakes of the story. The filmmakers are in on the joke and want to welcome us in too.

Best Reviewed Movies of 2021

“Bob Odenkirk: Action Hero” definitely wasn’t something I expected in my life when this year started, but it turns out it’s exactly what was missing. His role here allows the actor another fascinating turn in an acting career fairly filled with them. Yes, it’s gruesome and violent, but it’s also wickedly funny and surprisingly poignant. And while those Keanu comparisons are always going to be there, Nobody easily holds a candle to Wick.

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‘Nobody’ Review: Bob Odenkirk Gets His Death Wish On in an Action-Geek Fantasy That’s Not What It Seems

It may be preposterous, but Ilya Naishuller's don't-get-mad-get-even thriller confirms he's a born filmmaker.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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Before there were superhero films, there were don’t-get-mad-get-even films. You might say that the two genres have nothing to do with each other. But in the early-to-mid-’70s, when the revenge film as we know it was coming into being with “Dirty Harry,” “Walking Tall,” and “Death Wish,” part of the premise of the new pulp righteousness was that a man who seethed softly and carried a big weapon to cleanse the streets of “scum” had the kind of invincibility we now associate with demigods in spandex. The revenge genre, which could also be called the defend-yourself-because-no-one-else-will genre, became a mythology, a fusion of lone-wolf Western nostalgia and right-wing nihilism that any actor with enough muscle mass and the right scowl could plug into. Sly and Arnold, Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal, Bruce Willis — they all, in a way, played variations on the same character, the ruthless bruiser who could never be defeated because he had the wrath of nobility on his side. His squint of cool rage was the only superpower he needed.

Which brings us to Bob Odenkirk . You might say that “ Nobody ,” in which the wily star of “Better Call Saul” and “Breaking Bad” plays a glum suburban drone who gets in touch with his inner thug-bashing badass, follows every rule of the genre. It’s got a hero who starts off as a workaday family man, with a nice wife (Connie Nielsen) and two nice kids. Then he’s attacked by criminals in his own home. After which he starts to play dirty, give into his death wish, and walk tall.

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It’s in the middle of the night that a pair of robbers slip into the house. Odenkirk’s Hutch Mansell, hearing noises, goes downstairs to investigate, and there’s a scuffle — but it’s between his teenage son, Blake (Gage Munroe), and one of the intruders. Hutch, holding a golf club for protection, can’t bring himself to use it. The robbers leave, but Hutch finds himself being called a wimp. By who? By the cops, his son, and his macho neighbor. By everyone who hears about the incident.

We think we’re watching a movie about a paragon of middle-class mildness, like Bryan Cranston’s high-school teacher in “Breaking Bad” (or Bronson’s architect in “Death Wish”), who’s about to tap into something he has never felt before. But then Hutch, in a moment of existential meltdown, takes a midnight bus ride, and the bus is soon occupied by half a dozen Russian goons looking for trouble. Hutch takes the handgun his brother gave him and pointedly drops the bullets out of the chamber and onto the floor. He then takes on the entire gang with his bare hands (and a blade or two), introducing the fight with the Eastwood-worthy line, “I hope these assholes like hospital food.” Moments later, Hutch walks away, bruised but unbowed, and his victims are indeed headed for the hospital.

How did this happen? Hutch, it turns out, was never what he seemed. He’s got quite a backstory. And “Nobody” isn’t the movie it seemed either. It was directed by Ilya Naishuller, the audacious punk video auteur who has made just one previous feature, “Hardcore Henry” (2015), a spectacularly grandiose and innovative sci-fi noir action thriller done almost entirely in one shot, all from the point-of-view of its cybernetic hero. I found it at once annoying and amazing, and “Nobody” proves again that Naishuller, born in Russia and raised in London, may be as far as you can get from a psychological realist (the spirit of sin-city graphic novels and first-person-shooter video games flows through his blood) but he’s a born filmmaker.

“Nobody” is a thoroughly over-the-top and, at times, loony-tunes entry in the live-and-let-die vengeance-is-mine genre. Is it a good movie? Not exactly. But its 90 minutes fly by, and it’s a canny vehicle for Odenkirk, the unlikeliest star of a righteous macho bloodbath since Dustin Hoffman got his bear trap on in “Straw Dogs.” With his nerdishly parted receding hair, officious voice, and crestfallen air, Odenkirk could be the gloomier brother of Steve Carell, and you may wonder how we could start to buy him as the scariest person in the room. But Hutch possesses not so much brute strength as a certain deadly secret training and mad skill, and Odenkirk shows you how the payback brings him back to life. He’ll need every bit of that skill, too. One of the thugs he damaged is the brother of Yulian, a Russian mobster played by Aleksey Serebyakov (from “Leviathan”) with a fearsome magnetism that’s at once authentic and operatic. He’s like the Frankenstein’s monster of hard-partying hooligans.

The plot of “Nobody” is, in a word, preposterous, but Odenkirk’s conviction makes it work, as does the deranged twist of having Hutch team up with his retired FBI agent father (Christopher Lloyd) and adoptive brother (RZA). The movie is all about how Hutch, beneath his safe and colorless life, has to get back in touch with who he really is. And maybe that’s a metaphor for the way a lot of middle-class nobodies feel. It would be overstating things, though, to push the meaning of a thriller like this one too far. It’s just a cardboard fable. But when the ultraviolence erupts, the movie pops.

Reviewed online, March 18, 2021. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 91 MIN.

• Production: A Universal Pictures release, in association with Perfect World Pictures, of an 87North, Eighty Two Films, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment production. Producers: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Braden Aftergood, Bob Odenkirk, Marc Provissiero. Executive producers: Derek Kolstad, Marc S. Fischer, Annie Marter, Tobey Maguire.
• Crew: Director: Ilya Naishuller. Screenplay: Derek Kolstad. Camera: Pawel Pogorzelski. Editors: William, Yeh, Evan Schiff. Music: David Buckley.
• With: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Alexey Serebryakov, Christopher Lloyd, RZA, Michael Ironside, Colin Salmon, Billy MacLellan, Gage Munroe.

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Nobody Is Just Good Enough Thanks to Bob Odenkirk

Nobody is a movie about men who need, who are even secretly hoping for, an excuse to commit violence. They’re suburban men, family men, men who should be beyond such things — but if they had no choice , if their homes or their families were in peril, well, who could blame them? When Hutch Mansell ( Bob Odenkirk ) opts not to fight back when his house gets broken into by armed intruders, everyone around him shakes their heads in barely disguised contempt at his perceived weakness, but also at the perceived waste. “Did you even take a swing?” one of the cops who responds to the call asks when he sees the golf club Hutch had armed himself with. “I wish they’d have picked my place, you know? Could have used the exercise,” his weekend warrior neighbor smirks. Most damning of all is Hutch’s father-in-law Eddie (Michael Ironside), who owns the manufacturing business at which Hutch works, and who says, “I’m thinking you did the best thing you could. I mean, you being you.”

These men are all action heroes in waiting in their own heads, but the conceit in Nobody is that Hutch genuinely is one. He’s a trained killer in nondescript dad drag, one who gave up the life in favor of a peaceful existence with his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen), and their kids, Blake (Gage Munroe) and Abby (Paisley Cadorath). If this sounds a bit like the start of a certain Keanu Reeves franchise, know that Hutch also has a fateful run-in with the shiftless relative of a formidable Russian gangster who runs a neon-lit nightclub. Nobody shares the same screenwriter as John Wick and is produced by David Leitch, who, with fellow stuntman turned filmmaker Chad Stahelski, made the first John Wick before moving on to the equally fab Atomic Blonde . But it’s directed by Ilya Naishuller, whose 2015 debut Hardcore Henry was a 96-minute barrage shot entirely from the perspective of its protagonist — a movie with brashness to spare and the sensibility of a tween spitting slurs into his headset while on his eighth hour of a Call of Duty marathon. Naishuller doesn’t bring the elegant coherence that Leitch and Stahelski do to their fight sequences or manage the same touch of absurdity to lighten up the brutal excesses.

What he does have is Bob Odenkirk, and watching Odenkirk join the middle-aged action hero fold is pleasurable enough to make Nobody worth the while, even if it’s an obvious echo of other, better recent films. What else have you got to watch right now, anyway? Remember movies? Dumb, fun movies? Odenkirk may have done a bunch of well-documented training for the role, but he still looks like an unremarkable guy in Nobody , someone whose fitness and general badassery did not anoint him with accompanying cool. Working as a one-man clean-up crew was apparently as much a family business as his current paper-pushing gig. Hutch’s father, David (Christopher Lloyd), lives in a retirement home but gives off hints of a storied past, while Hutch’s brother, Harry (RZA), did his own opting out by faking his death, serving mostly as a confidant and adviser over the radio. Everyone else in Hutch’s life treats him as barely visible, though the film, not always convincingly, makes gestures at this being his fault as much as anyone else’s. Hutch has, in his own words, “overcorrected,” turning himself into the parent who makes breakfast no one eats, who sensibly takes public transportation, and whose real-estate agent spouse is the more successful one in their sexless marriage.

It’d be nice if Nobody contained any trace of irony or introspection to the way it connects Hutch’s malaise to its depiction of his emasculation, or acknowledged the enduring ugliness underlying those fantasies of getting to fight off intruders coming to take what’s yours. But Odenkirk doesn’t play Hutch as a supercharged version of an angry white man looking for an excuse to shoot someone. Instead, he approaches the character as someone who misses doing the only thing he was good at, even if he doesn’t miss the life of isolation and secrecy that accompanied it. The first time his character heads out into the night, it’s to retrieve something he believes was stolen from his home in the robbery — a mission that leaves him regretful and hating himself even more. It’s on the bus ride home that he has an encounter with a group of drunken hooligans, a run-in that will spark an escalating battle with a sociopathic criminal big shot named Yulian (Aleksey Serebryakov). But there on the bus, watching those would-be toughs harass a young woman and exude trouble, Hutch starts smiling. It’s the grin of an addict committing to breaking sobriety after years. It’s the grin of someone who has finally found himself in a situation in which he has no choice but to commit violence, and the relief on Odenkirk’s face is wonderfully complicated — enough to want him to try action out again, next time in a movie that’s more than half-baked.

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Review: In ‘Nobody,’ Bob Odenkirk transforms into an action star. It suits him

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The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health officials .

“Nobody,” the brutish, comedic action-thriller in theaters this weekend, opens with an image unlike any other brandished by “Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk: Sitting in an interrogation room, blood splattered across his denim jacket, gore embellishing his long, bruised face, disheveled, he lights a cigarette. From his jacket he reveals a can of tuna, a can opener and a gray kitten. To which his interrogators ask — “Who the f— are you?”

Established star images are meant to be leveraged. Here, the typically mild-mannered character actor and comedian flexes his everyman persona to portray a somber action hero weary of hiding his true identity.

That depth is the tinge of sophistication the well experienced Odenkirk brings to the Neanderthal shoot’em-up antics of “Nobody,” a violently high-testosterone B-movie that’s more a spoof than a satire of the vengeful-father subgenre. A natural vehicle for director Ilya Naishuller — following his 2016 Russian GoPro-shot sci-fi action flick “Hardcore Henry” — “Nobody” gathers from the familiar blood-soaked stream of “John Wick,” “Death Wish” and the “Taken” franchise to fashion a savage ode featuring the same mettle of its inspirations but with far greater humor attached to the well-worn beats.

Before the opening’s evocative tableau, a listless Hutch lives with his family of four in a gray suburban enclave. Here, the monotony of his everyday — the ding of his metro pass, a mouse click on a spreadsheet, his feet hitting the gravel for a daily run — serves as an unrelenting soundtrack for his anonymous routine as the dull head of a dreary nuclear family.

See, Hutch Mansell used to be someone. Someone special, someone feared. Now he exclusively wears the same beige khakis and blue-and-white-striped polo to his mundane auditing gig at his father-in-law’s nondescript manufacturing plant. It’s telling that we never discover what exactly this bland factory produces — and instead only see the accounting numbers that flash on Hutch’s computer screen. Because while Hutch might be breathing, the father of two isn’t living.

His fortunes change, so to speak, on the night two masked intruders break into his cozy home. They want his money, his watch and his wedding ring. The type of panic most subdued suburbanites would feel evades the unassuming dad. Even after his son (Gage Munroe) jumps a would-be-robber, wrestling him to the ground while Hutch wields a golf club, Hutch fails to act and allows the inept thieves to flee.

The incident leaves his beleaguered son disappointed in his gutless father and Hutch ashamed of himself — a pitiless shame deepened by ridicule from judgmental cops, his leather-jacket toting, ‘72 Challenger-owning neighbor, and gun-flaunting brother-in-law (Billy MacLellan). Hutch dutifully wears the albatross until his young daughter (Paisley Cadorath) cries for the lost kitty-cat bracelet taken by the intruders. As with John Wick and his dog, the trinket unleashes the geyser of simmering rage hidden within.

This family man isn’t your everyday auditor. Rather, the job title serves as a euphemism for Hutch’s very particular set of skills, skills acquired after a long career. Beneath his demure veneer exists a killing machine so classified by the government that a blackmailed Pentagon office worker must traverse to the basement of the intelligence center for information, only to discover a redacted file code-named, simply, “Nobody.”

The dormant assassin shakes his suffocating doldrums to track down the assailants who snatched his daughter’s bracelet. Even after he finds the perpetrators, his vengeful journey, for which he rides the bus into New York City’s seedy underbelly, isn’t enough to satiate his long quelled urges. A walking study of a midlife crisis gone awry, Hutch prays for danger, hoping to send a would-be punk to the hospital. Opportunity literally comes knocking when a load of drunk Euro-bros parade onto the bus.

Although Hutch ostensibly instigates the melee to protect a young woman passenger, “Nobody” isn’t concerned with “Death Wish”-style vigilante justice. Rather, Naishuller grasps the situation as an entry point to greater carnage.

The editing by William Yeh and Evan Schiff for the ensuing five-on-one brawl faintly captures the fluidity of Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir’s work on “John Wick.” While the choreographed bludgeoning — Hutch strangles one guy with a stop requested cord, gets thrown through a bus window, beats another unlucky oncomer with a bus handle, and performs a tracheotomy on a downed victim with a pocketknife and a straw — is a symphony of slapstick violence composed in brilliant clarity. A primal Hutch, beaming a sly smile of satisfaction, revels in the onslaught.

The fracas reveals “Nobody” in its true form: a bleak action-comedy whose biggest laughs stem from a hunger for gratuitous brutality.

Beyond the pain inflicted by Hutch, Odenkirk’s action-star vehicle lacks any deeper emotion, but Naishuller relishes the opportunity to abandon logical storytelling in lieu of bust ‘em up prowess — and to introduce other cartoonish characters.

At one point, Christopher Lloyd, playing Hutch’s gloomy father, hoists a 12-gauge shotgun; a mysterious, horn-playing compatriot (RZA) communicates with Hutch through the radio; and a Russian mob leader and club owner, Yulian Kuznetsov (Aleksei Serebryakov), loves singing and dancing on his Euro-club stage but can kill a man with a smashed martini glass. This last guy hires Pavel (Araya Mengesha), a brooding Black Russian assassin, to hunt Hutch after Yulian’s son dies in the aforementioned bus scuffle.

These aging male characters desperately try to imagine a life outside the underworld, but it’s the sole place they feel whole. That void has gnawed at Hutch, subtracting the passion from his marriage with Becca (a criminally underutilized Connie Nielsen) and making him the butt of his neighbor‘s and brother-in-law’s jokes. “Deep down I always knew it was a facade,” Hutch says of his sleepy suburban life.

And once he literally sends the women and children away, “Nobody” becomes a domain for those egos to run wild again. The film’s hyper-masculine, hard-stomping soul and metal soundtrack takes hold, culminating in a bullet-riddled final showdown at Hutch’s factory.

In “Nobody,” Bob Odenpunches, Odenkicks and Odenshoots for a pulpy dark comedy waiting to thrill junkie B-movie lovers.

'Nobody'

Rating: R, for strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and brief drug use Running time: 1 hour, 31 minutes Playing: Opens March 26 in general release; available on VOD April 16

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‘Nobody’ Review: A Wolf in Wimp’s Clothing

Bob Odenkirk plays a family man with a secret past in this slick, shallow thriller.

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By Jeannette Catsoulis

As slick as a blood spill and as single-minded as a meat grinder, “Nobody” hustles us along with a swiftness that blurs the foolishness of its plot and the depravity of its message. A series of cartoonishly rapid cuts introduces Hutch ( Bob Odenkirk ), a mild-mannered suburban schmuck whose identical days flip past in a haze of chores and a vague desk job. His sighing wife (Connie Nielsen) and teenage son (Gage Munroe) regard him with something close to pity — especially when he balks at attacking two luckless home invaders. His son is fearless; Hutch is frozen.

A journey from emasculation to invigoration, “Nobody” harks back to the vigilante dramas of the 1970s and early 80s. Unlike the would-be heroes of those movies, though, Hutch has no real excuse for the savage spree he instigates and perpetuates. (His family is unharmed; what’s wounded is his ego.) Moreover, Hutch is not who he seems, his secret past seemingly known only to his wily father (Christopher Lloyd) and adoptive brother (RZA). So when he boards a bus, splashing its interior in the blood, teeth and tissue of a passel of Russian gangsters, his lethal skills are as unsurprising as his ultimate satiety. He might emerge bruised and battered, but — after seeing him calmly empty the bullets from his gun before the brawl — we know that’s how he likes it: He wants to feel the damage he’s doing.

Flashy and cocksure, “Nobody,” written by Derek Kolstad (the narrative engine of the “John Wick” franchise ), sprints from one dust up to the next with winking efficiency. However disreputable its hoary thesis — that real masculinity resides in the fists — its director, Ilya Naishuller , knows how to make a film move. And this one races by: The stunts are ultrasmooth, the dialogue glibly economical and Pawel Pogorzelski’s camera is agile and ruthlessly focused. As the bodies mount and Hutch becomes the target of a karaoke-singing Russian mobster (a charismatic Alexey Serebryakov), the movie feebly tries to pardon Hutch’s implacable brutality.

“I’m a good man, a family man,” he informs an adversary. But he’s a counterfeit regular guy in a movie that’s openly contemptuous of such men, a sleeping assassin who’s finally free to scratch a long-suppressed itch. (Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme singing “I’ve Gotta Be Me” during his transition is not exactly subtle.) Now, at last, Hutch is alive; more important, now he’s a man.

Nobody Rated R for guns, knives, explosives and terrible karaoke. Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes. In theaters. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters.

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Nobody Review

05 Mar 2021

Better Cull Saul, anyone? For a decade or so now, as Jimmy ‘Saul Goodman’ McGill in both Breaking Bad and its prequel, Better Call Saul , Bob Odenkirk has made talking — invariably of the fast variety — his way out of danger into an art form. When the bullets start to fly, he’ll be found running as fast as he can in the opposite direction.

That all changes with the rollocking ride that is Nobody , in which Odenkirk makes a late bid for geriaction-hero status. By the end of Ilya Naishuller ’s movie, Odenkirk has racked up a body count around the triple figure mark. He is the danger. He is the one who knocks.

That Odenkirk — with able assistance from Naishuller’s inventive staging and the action aces of David Leitch and Chad Stahelski ’s gang of cunning stunts at 87North — can cut (and shoot, and stab) the mustard is deeply impressive. It would have been easy to turn this into a parody of action films, and have the central joke be that Odenkirk’s formidable-assassin-turned-family-man Hutch Mansell is woefully out of shape, wheezing his way through fight scenes. And there is a little of that, particularly in his first outing, in which he gets as good as he gives during an intervention on public transport. Otherwise, as Hutch gets back into the swing of things, he shows a yen for meting out punishment that makes John Wick look about as intimidating as a branch of Wickes.

There’s a cartoonish quality, and even a lightness of touch, to the violence.

Invoking Wick’s name is not an accident. Not only does Leitch, who co-directed the first of the Keanu Reeves action series, produce here, but the two films share a writer: Derek Kolstad . And there’s quite a bit of shared DNA, from the basic premise to the Russian bad guys. What makes this more than just a loose remake is in the tone. While Odenkirk, deliberately, isn’t running off his motormouth, this is so much funnier than the Wick movies which, for all their stylish gunplay, have a tendency to disappear up their immaculately tailored backsides. There’s a cartoonish quality, and even a lightness of touch, to the violence in Nobody that might disappoint anyone looking for a soul-searching treatise on vigilantism and the corrosive nature of vengeance.

This will leave some cold, while its central message, that all your problems can be solved by standing up for yourself and beating the shit out of anything that moves, is on the slightly problematic side. It’s also absolutely criminal to let Odenkirk and the likes of Christopher Lloyd have fun with guns, while leaving Connie Nielsen on the sidelines in a barely written role as Hutch’s wife. But the whole thing moves so quickly it’s hard to find time to lament these failings; plus, there are lashings of style (Aleksey Serebryakov’s bad guy gets an entrance for the ages), a great soundtrack (including a needle drop that will please fans of one football team in particular), and Odenkirk at his most infectiously charismatic. And if that still doesn’t work for you, there’s a cute kitten too.

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Nobody review – Bob Odenkirk betters John Wick in fun action caper

The Better Call Saul star gets a furiously entertaining star vehicle playing a suburban father who finds himself up against the Russian mob

F or any vaguely fit actor over the age of 50, being given your own Taken was briefly seen as an enviable career boost, a chance to relive former glories, a slickly choreographed leap from an early Hollywood grave back to the sandlot. Ever since Liam Neeson swapped emoting for punching back in 2008, Kevin Costner, Sean Penn, John Travolta, Pierce Brosnan and Guy Pearce all tried to do the same but audiences wisely stayed away from their sub-par shoot-em-ups and execs were forced to realise that, duh, it’s the star rather than the sub-genre that people are magnetically drawn to. Because Neeson’s shtick was continuing to bring in solid crowds while his peers were flailing and in 2014, Keanu Reeves found a similar sweet spot with John Wick, kicking off a hugely profitable new series with a Taken-adjacent combination of simple action plot and much-loved actor.

With a burning desire for some of that Wick cash (the three films in total have made over $550m worldwide with a spin-off and TV series also planned), Universal has teamed up with the film’s writer Derek Kolstad to crack open what’s clearly hoped to be a new low-budget, high-profit action universe. This time the choice of lead is based less on conventional desirability and more on unconventional durability with Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk as an unassuming suburban dad hiding a dark past in Nobody, a furiously entertaining thriller that, for me, worked far more effectively than any of Keanu’s outings, a bit more character thrown in to cushion the many broken bones.

The unusual career of Odenkirk, who in his 50s has experienced an unlikely transformation from “oh that guy” character actor to Emmy-nominated lead of a hit show, makes him a compelling action hero, confident enough to command yet with a skillset that’s more extensive and more versatile than just pure physicality. He plays the improbably named Hutch Mansell, a milquetoast everyman whose daily routine has grown as tired as his chilly marriage. When his house is set upon by a couple of low-rent thieves, he’s set on a mission to right a wrong, revealing an adeptness for violence that’s been kept far away from his family.

It’s a film cooked up from some overly familiar ingredients (as well as the blood and bullets, there’s challenged masculinity, the Russian mob, a cute pet, some noirish voiceover etc) yet Kolstad, along with Hardcore Henry director Ilya Naishuller on vibrant form, finds a way to make it all feel oddly vital. There’s a simple, shaggy charm to watching Hutch rediscover his particular set of skills, kicked off by a fantastically well-designed bus sequence that sees him scrappily take on a group of obnoxious younger men. He’s an imperfect yet resilient fighter, believably hampered by age, making him a character far more thrilling to watch than say, any one of Neeson’s no-stakes superheroes.

The escalation that follows which dominoes one good deed into one savage fight into something far greater helps Nobody avoid the storytelling-by-numbers trap that so many revenge films often fall into, mimicking a video game with the hero going from one end-of-level boss to the next. The fight scenes are also awfully effective, a jolt of brutal violence captured with a specificity that allows us to keep up with every punch and kick, a base-level competency that so many action films fail to master. Perhaps the film’s greatest ace is its relative lack of smugness, Kolstad’s script briskly racing ahead without wasting time to stand back and remark on how smart and ironic it all is, quips kept to a minimum, a lesson other action screenwriters could do with learning.

Odenkirk is a surprisingly physically adept anchor and while sure, the trope of a man only really being a man when he embraces his violent side is … not great, he tries his best to work around the regressive nature of the genre, turning Hutch into a man somewhat earnestly trying to figure out the right balance of alpha and beta. There’s little to do for Connie Nielsen as his confused wife but Christopher Lloyd gets to have some fun as his gun-toting father and along with RZA as his equally armed brother, there’s an intriguing little family dynamic that will probably be explored in the inevitable sequel (Nobodies, perhaps?).

It’s all very been here, seen that yet there’s something infinitely pleasing about a film doing very little but doing it very well, knowing just how high to aim without aiming any higher, aware of exactly what it can and can’t do. In a tight 91 minutes, without any bloat, Nobody gives us exactly what we want.

Nobody is out in US cinemas on 26 March with a UK release in June

• Action and adventure films
• Comedy films
• Christopher Lloyd
• Bob Odenkirk

Most viewed

Here's what the critics are saying about Nobody

"It's a wish-fulfillment romp just as ludicrous as any of them but more fun than most"

Nobody is due to hit the big screen any day now, with Bob Odenkirk set to channel John Wick more than Saul Goodman in the action-packed thriller. He plays Hutch, a mild-mannered family man who fails to protect his wife (Connie Nielsen) and kids when their home is broken into. The incident awakens some suppressed skills and shines a light on some dark secrets – Hutch, it turns out, is not who he appears to be. Directed by Russian musician and filmmaker Ilya Naishuller, the script was written by Derek Kolstad, co-creator of the aforementioned Mr. Wick franchise. The movie also stars rapper RZA, Back to the Future 's Christopher Lloyd, and Top Gun's Michael Ironside.

Now, the critics have had their say and the reviews are mainly positive, with a lot of praise for Odenkirk's performance. Below, we’ve rounded up the major reviews of Nobody, so you can get a taste of what’s to expect.

Don’t get on Bob Odenkirk’s bad side. That’s the entirety of both text and subtext in the Better Call Saul star’s new action vehicle Nobody – and I’m here for it. From his origins in sketch comedy with The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show to his dramatic work on Breaking Bad and its spin-off, Odenkirk’s transition into a pissed-off, ass-kicking old man in the Charles Bronson/Liam Neeson mold feels both unexpected and entirely appropriate. And it’s just one of the many joys of this delightfully funny, deliriously violent, endlessly engaging action spectacle. Read the full review here.

The Hollywood Reporter

Surprise player Bob Odenkirk enters the middle-aged action hero game in Nobody, Ilya Naishuller's John Wick-y take on the protect-my-family picture. Taking itself much less seriously than the Taken series and its predecessors, it's a wish-fulfillment romp just as ludicrous as any of them but more fun than most. Just self-aware enough to let a discerning action fan forgive its extremes (including some RED-like geezers-with-guns mayhem near the end), the worst thing you can say about it is this: It's satisfying enough that it could spawn sequels, possibly distracting its star from the plum dramatic roles he deserves after his brilliant work on Better Call Saul. Read the full review here.

Make no mistake, this is pure caveman bullshit. Yet it’s caveman bullshit made with style and wit, qualities that extend from its screenplay to its performances to its staging. There’s a good running gag of Hutch easing into a monologue about his dark past, only to discover that the mortally wounded henchmen he’s addressing have died already. We get Michael Ironside glowering as the aforementioned father-in-law, RZA literally phoning in some cool as Hutch’s contact to the old ways, and Leviathan star Aleksey Serebryakov having a flamboyant good time as the Russian heavy with a yen for karaoke. Read the full review here.

Entertainment Weekly

The charm should be watching a somewhat regular guy like Odenkirk pulling these world-is-my-weapon moves. A curious problem is that the actor looks great: middle-aged fit, gaze steely, stubble well-attended, clothes that make his slim frame look like a bullet ready to fire. I don't think it spoils too much to say that Hutch has a secret past. Once it's revealed, the film becomes just another bloodfest about a highly effective action guy with a very particular set of skills, fighting off one wave of henchmen after another. Read the full review Read the full review here.

The plot of Nobody is, in a word, preposterous, but Odenkirk’s conviction makes it work, as does the deranged twist of having Hutch team up with his retired FBI agent father (Christopher Lloyd) and adoptive brother (RZA). The movie is all about how Hutch, beneath his safe and colorless life, has to get back in touch with who he really is. And maybe that’s a metaphor for the way a lot of middle-class nobodies feel. It would be overstating things, though, to push the meaning of a thriller like this one too far. It’s just a cardboard fable. But when the ultraviolence erupts, the movie pops. Read the full review Read the full review here.

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Nobody is released in theaters on March 26. In the meantime, check out of the other upcoming movies to get excited about this year.

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

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Common sense media reviewers.

Revenge actioner is extremely violent; guns, drugs, cursing.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Not a message movie, but there's an underlying not

Hutch protects his family and prioritizes their sa

Tons of guns. Graphic violence with shootings, bom

Glimpse of BDSM photographs, including a woman in

Strong language includes "ass," "goddamn," "s--t,"

A classic sports car gets a lot of worshipful scre

Villain snorts cocaine. Drinking throughout. Smoki

Parents need to know that Nobody is an action crime thriller about Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), a suburban husband/father who's pushed to the brink after a home invasion. Looking for an outlet for his rage, Hutch ends up taking down a group of young men who are out for a night of partying, putting them all…

Positive Messages

Not a message movie, but there's an underlying notion that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

Positive Role Models

Hutch protects his family and prioritizes their safety, and he demonstrates self-defense skills, but he also viciously attacks people. No notable diverse representations.

Violence & Scariness

Tons of guns. Graphic violence with shootings, bombings, stabbings, and physical fighting that uses any nearby object as a weapon. Gory, bloody wounds, including faces being blown off.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Glimpse of BDSM photographs, including a woman in an outfit that reveals her rear. Reference to lack of sex in a marriage.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language includes "ass," "goddamn," "s--t," "hell," "goddamn," and heavy use of "f--k." Exclamatory use of "Jesus" and "God."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

A classic sports car gets a lot of worshipful screen time.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Villain snorts cocaine. Drinking throughout. Smoking that's presented with an element of "cool."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Nobody is an action crime thriller about Hutch Mansell ( Bob Odenkirk ), a suburban husband/father who's pushed to the brink after a home invasion. Looking for an outlet for his rage, Hutch ends up taking down a group of young men who are out for a night of partying, putting them all in the hospital and near death. His targets aren't portrayed as great guys -- they drive under the influence, and they make an inappropriate comment to a young woman who's sitting alone on a bus -- but their behavior doesn't warrant Hutch's vicious attack. Violence is graphic and extreme, escalating as the film progresses, with deaths getting more over-the-top and gory. Think shootings, stabbings, punches, bombings, and more. And so many guns: Nearly every male character is packing a weapon or blowing someone away, with pieces ranging from a .38 special to an Uzi. (Toxic masculinity, anyone?) The villain snorts cocaine, and heroic characters drink. Language is strong, with "f--k" as the word of choice. There's a quick glimpse of BDSM photos. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (9)
• Kids say (27)

Based on 9 parent reviews

Graphic, detailed depictions of extreme violence

What's the story.

In NOBODY, Hutch Mansell ( Bob Odenkirk ); his wife, Becca ( Connie Nielsen ); and their kids, Blake ( Gage Munroe ) and Sammy ( Paisley Cadorath ), have a peaceful suburban life. But after a home robbery, Hutch has a violent awakening and goes on a rampage to protect himself and his family from a dangerous Russian gangster.

Is It Any Good?

Odenkirk's winky "Dadsploitation" film feels destined for cult status. It's about a man who feels emasculated by the mundanity of suburban married life. After his home is invaded and his teen son beaten in the mayhem, he reclaims the throne that his testerone seems to demand with force and might -- or at least, that's how some sympathetic viewers may see it. But while the situation is played out seriously, there's an underlying dark comedic element that's in on the joke; it's almost but not quite parody. It's not funny , per se, but some odd, quirky moments will manifest as quotable lines -- the kind that show up on T-shirts.

Part of Nobody 's weird wackiness is the increasing creativity of the violence. What starts as mesmerizing kick-butt takedowns morphs into cartoon violence on par with Wile E. Coyote cartoons. It seems meant to make viewers guffaw while still being bloody disgusting. The whole endeavor is evidence that toxic masculinity is alive and well, even if it now sometimes comes with a wink and a smile. Part of it is the unabashed embrace of two macho clichés: a classic sports car and a cache of guns (which, but of course, end up not being as effective as two fists). The film is really kind of ridiculous, and it knows it. That's what makes it fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence in Nobody . Does its over-the-top nature lessen its impact? Or does the sheer volume make it impossible to ignore? How does the impact compare to that of movies with more realistic violence?

How does this compare to other "dad vigilante" films you've seen? Some examples are Taken , Die Hard , and Death Wish .

Discuss Hutch's attack on the men on the bus. Do you think they deserved what he did to them? How does the story work to make viewers feel OK with the fact that Hutch hurt them so severely? Did he have other options?

What is "toxic masculinity"? Do you think it's on display in Nobody ? Why is it important for male characters to show emotion on-screen and not rely solely on aggression to solve problems?

What elements are intended to show that this film has a satirical edge?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 26, 2021
• On DVD or streaming : June 22, 2021
• Cast : Bob Odenkirk , Connie Nielsen , Christopher Lloyd
• Director : Ilya Naishuller
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 92 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and brief drug use
• Last updated : February 11, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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NOBODY (2021) review

written by: Derek Kolstad produced by: Kelly McCormick, David Leitch, Braden Aftergood, Bob Odenkirk & Marc Provissiero directed by: Iilya Naishuller rated: R (for strong violence and bloody images, language throughout and brief drug use) runtime: 92 min. U.S. release date: March 26, 2021 (theaters) 

Word-of-mouth will describe the action thriller “Nobody” as something along the lines of a “John Wick” movie. That’s fair enough since this movie has another middle-aged guy going up against a league of bad guys, leaving them seriously injured, maimed, or dead. Considering “Nobody” comes from the mind of screenwriter Derek Kolstad, whose responsible for that Keanu Reeves franchise, such an assessment isn’t far off at all. But, it differs in that the lead is Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), someone typically not associated with the action genre and winds up initially subverting what we’re used to in the one-man-army subgenre. The actor succeeds in delivering an uncanny performance here, while director Illya Naishuller (“Hardcore Henry”) fully embraces the oddity of it all, combining comedy with hyper kinetic violence.

Mild-mannered family man Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) lives a seemingly uneventful life which revolves around a set schedule that has become a daily grind while going predominately unnoticed by everyone. He barely shares a bed with his realtor wife, Becca ( Connie Nielsen ) and although he’s a steady provider for his family, crunching numbers at a machinery company run by his father-in-law ( Michael Ironside ), his kids, son Blake ( Gage Munroe ) and daughter Abby ( Paisley Cadorath ) seem to take him for granted and see right past him. One night, a home invasion startles the family and when Hutch doesn’t take an opportunity to turn the table on the intruders, he’s left with a resentful son and feelings of emasculation.

What he can’t reveal is the real reason he chose not to act that night. Hutch has kept his past a secret for so long, it just came natural to hold back. But, his family potentially coming into harm’s way is the breaking point that finds him reigniting his penchant for violence. Like an itch that hasn’t been scratched in a long while, Hutch sets out to seek vengeance on whoever broke into his home, which finds him getting into a brutal altercation with a bunch of thugs on a bus. They were on the wrong bus at the wrong time. Although outnumbered and getting injured in the process, Hutch methodically (and somewhat gleefully) takes all of them out and unbeknownst to him, one of them was the kid brother of Yulian (a totally game Aleksey Serebryakov ), a local Russian crime boss. Hutch’s actions change everything and put him and his family in even greater danger as Yulian declares an all-our war on this new threat from the suburbs.

Despite the desire to get into it all, certain revelations (especially involving Hutch’s other family members played by RZA and Christopher Lloyd ) are best left for the viewer to discover on their own. The mayhem overseen by Naishuller is kicked into full gear during it’s second and third acts, but the first act is what really hooks the audience, as we’re introduced to what should be Hutch’s content family life. He’s restless and borderline depressive, however, and seems to be recycling into a rut. Getting back to his violent ways – something he is really good at – is like an addict relapsing, but where does that leave his family life after all this?

There are specific hints to his hidden life early on as we get to know Hutch and his home life, all of which will play out in satisfying ways later on. While the overall story unfolds with gleeful dark comedy (thanks to some stylish editing by William Yeh and Evan Schiff) and impressive action sequences shot by cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski (who lensed Ari Aster’s last two films), some may find the moral bankruptcy of the story to be a bit much, others (like myself) will enjoy the violent chaos and lose themselves in the cacophony of bullets and explosions.

Yes, “Nobody” is violent and it also revolves around a character who makes bad decisions with grave repercussions, yet we root for him. There have been stories with similar setups told in the past and they often strike a chord with audiences, sometimes becoming cult classics. What does that say about myself and people who enjoy such movies? I don’t mind violent movies. In fact, I look forward to a well done action flick, but what matters is the tone and approach. Obviously, a good action movie relies on a good story, just like any other genre, but I tend to check out if the violence is more gratuitous than stylistic in some way or if the whole thing is just plain mean-spirited. I’ll watch it, but it’s harder to sit through, for sure.

The highlight of “Nobody” is definitely Odenkirk, who is taking on a role that plays against the type of characters most viewers connect him with…and that’s a good thing. We want to see the actors we like stretch and take on new challenges, whether they work or not. This works. If all the action was taken out of the movie, Odenkirk could play this defeated character in his sleep, but when the story pivots and calls for action, Odenkirk is committed and delivers. It helps that the actor invested two years preparing for the role (primarily the fight choreography, one can assume) and that it came from his own home invasion experience. He even sought out Naishuller to direct the movie, so there’s no doubt this isn’t just something Odenkirk is trying on for size. He brings great nuance and dimension to the role, while Naishuller and Kolstad carefully place key reveals that lead up to the whole movie going from one bloody confrontation to the next.

Naishuller plays with style and relishes in incorporated certain tunes into the throughout the feature, reminiscent of Edgar Wright’s filmography. His approach to action involves some slo-mo shots coupled with quickly-paced close quartered hits, albeit all easy to follow and none of which ever feel overused or excessive. Granted, the climatic act of action feels somewhat ludicrous and cartoonish, but that’s not unheard of for these kinds of movies and at least it all leans toward comedy as opposed to horror. Combining all the comedy and action of the movie with its contagious energy makes “Nobody” easy to take in.

I really only have one qualm with “Nobody” and that comes from a long-standing wish fulfillment I’ve had that this movie doesn’t meet. In watching these one-man-army movies, I’ve often found myself wishing the protagonist was truly an “average Joe” getting in over his head as he sets out on an undetermined path of revenge or vengeance. It would be more relatable and realistic, unlike the kind of fantasy that “Nobody” falls into. Despite the title and what Odenkirk’s Hutch tells the investigators that bookend the movie, he’s not a “nobody”. It doesn’t make the movie any less entertaining or enjoyable. It just happens to not scratch an itch I’ve had for a while.

Many movies came to mind while watching “Nobody” and that’s usually a bad thing. In this case, I was so into the movie that I didn’t mind how I thought of the likes of “A History of Violence”, “Falling Down”, “Shoot ‘Em Up”, and the “Taken” and “Equalizer” movies. It must be said that he less you know going into “Nobody” the better, which is hard to do nowadays. Seriously. Don’t watch the trailers (as a general rule, they give away entirely too much, especially the red band trailer for this one). I had a blast watching it and can’t wait to revisit and hope Odenkirk and company are down for more. I sure am.

RATING: ***

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Cant believe imdb gave this a 7.5 rating. It’s so stereotypical of these kind of movies. Nobody to see here give us your credit card and move along.

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THE MOVIE CULTURE

Nobody Movie Review & Summary: Bob Odenkirk Goes Ham In This Bloodbath

Nobody is crazy fun when it comes to unique and well thought out action. Its filled with guts, blood and a version of Bob Odenkirk which is unseen and unheard of before. 

Nobody Movie Plot

Nobody revolves around a retired Auditor, Hutch Mansell who gets back into the bloodshed business to vent out years’ worth of gruelling endurance and anger. It all begins over a kitty cat bracelet. 

Nobody Movie Cast

• Bob Odenkirk as Hutch Mansell
• Aleksey Serebryakov as Yulian Kuznetsov
• Connie Nielsen as Becca Mansell 
• Christopher Lloyd as David Mansell
• RZA as Harry Mansell

Nobody Movie Review

Nobody is the reason why action films should just be handed over to Russian directors from this point onward. Starring Bob Odenkirk, Nobody is everything you can possibly want an action movie to be. It’s Fast Paced, pretty freaking violent and it doesn’t take itself seriously. It has some of the most well-crafted and choreographed action I have seen since a long time, and I don’t want to necessarily base my opinions on comparisons, but John Wick looks pretty childish compared to the kind of gore we see in Nobody. The plot is, well, there’s something there alright. It’s as straightforward as it gets, and while I necessarily wasn’t a huge fan of it, I also didn’t go into this movie expecting something unwantedly deep. I craved to see some action and oh boy did I get to see just that. Bob Odenkirk sure devoted his entire career towards Saul Goodman, and when you finally see him in this role, you will know that he slides into Hutch’s shoes like butter. 

Nobody follows Hutch Mansell (Played by Bob Odenkirk), a retired “Auditor”, who now has a family of his own. He gets up to his same old routine, does his same old chores and goes back to his same old life, each and every passing day. It’s almost like his life is already scripted and anything out of place would just disturb the momentum of his gruelling journey to death. What he lacks in his outer life, he can’t compensate in his home. There’s a sense of dried out love between him and his wife Becca Mansel (Played by Connie Nielsen), and a lost respect in his son’s eyes. But one fine night, two burglars break into his home, rob him and apparently steal his daughter’s kitty cat bracelet. He has every chance to hit them where it hurts, yet he chooses not to vent his months of patience and anger on the thieves who brought an empty gun to a robbery. But when he learns that the bracelet has gone missing, you know he is about to go crazy on them. And thus begins the rebirth of the Auditor. 

Nobody Movie: Gore and Clever Action Combined

The fight sequences in this movie beat anything that I have ever laid my eyes on. The sheer brutality of each punch, each stab and each bullet can be heard and felt all the same. The Bus Fight sequence is when, according to the words of Hutch, God opens a door to a long-compressed side of him. This door lets out an animal, who has missed beating as much as he missed getting beaten. One punch to the face, he receives two in return. But after the next punch he delivers, there is no one left to punch him twice anymore.

Blood splatter on the glasses and on the seats like a rainy puddle. Hutch not only defends the set of moves coming towards him, but he more than once, retaliates by using that same move to his advantage. Be it an Alcohol Bottle, a Knife or a Straw, the choreography of this movie takes advantage of any and every prop possible. It’s the kind of action which gets pretty creative, but has a two-sided gore angle to it, which will never make you feel like you are watching something formulaic or choreographed. The fist fights get nasty and take their time. Characters take breaks in between, and get bloodier as the fight progresses. From almost killing a man with a Bus Railing to saving him with a freaking Straw, I feel like this has the potential to become just as iconic as the Pencil incident of John Wick, but with a different perspective. 

Nobody Movie: Bob Odenkirk, You Beauty

We see that his brother Harry (Played by RZA) and father David (Played by Christopher Lloyd) are familiar with the same line of work. The dynamic between the three of these characters resulted in some of the most far out and insanely fun scenes in the movie. Every person in this family knows how to kick bottoms. Bob Odenkirk is one man who understood the assignment. He has truly changed his entire persona with a single movie and that is saying a lot. I feel like he has virtually bashed every bit of typecasting he might have ever faced with Hutch Mansell and his beautiful badassery. To watch him do these insane stunts and absorb all those gut punches was truly glorious to say the least. And I really enjoyed what kind of a person Hutch really is. His intentions aren’t complex, his methods aren’t filled with long drawn plans, but his ruthlessness is enough for him to find his way out of any situation he might get himself in. The relationship between him and his wife felt neglected however. And every argument about this movie not having that sense of Introspection, comes from the right place and I ain’t denying that. But I also fear that bringing complexity into these characters would have stretched out a face paced action bonanza. Ilya Naishuller packs this film to the brim with thrilling and exhilarating sequences that I never got the chance of even criticizing the lack of depth. The way it integrates action with cleverness is remarkable and that R-Rated Home Alone climax of this film was the most fun I have had while watching a movie for a long long time. 

Nobody is a gut filled adventure ride, where Bob Odenkirk grips you and punches you for ever thinking that Saul Goodman would be his best work. He has truly worked hard for this role and it bloody shows. My tipping towards this genre in general might come off as biased, considering how much of a fan I am of good, fast paced combat, but I don’t think anyone will come out of Nobody unentertained. I have a tolerance towards violence, but even I squinted a bit when things got particularly bloody. At this point, I only hope they make a franchise out of this or somehow integrate this into the John Wick universe, god that would be a dream, wouldn’t it? 

Nobody Movie Critical Reception

Nobody stands on 82% in Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus being, “Nobody doesn’t break any new ground for the genre, but this viscerally violent thriller smashes, shatters, and destroys plenty of other things — all while proving Bob Odenkirk has what it takes to be an action star.” Its Metascore is at 66 with generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews.

The Movie Culture Synopsis

Nobody is one of the best action movies to come out in 2021 and it sets off an insane character, helmed by the insanely talented Bob Odenkirk. I can’t wait to see what they do with this franchise; god knows how I want them to bring in John Wick somehow, but we have a long way to go before that. 

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Prime Video's new romantic comedy just beat Netflix with a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes

“Música” is one of the highest-rated streaming movies of the year

Rudy Mancuso is the latest internet personality to turn their talents to filmmaking, and it looks like the former Vine star and YouTuber has followed in the steps of Bo Burnham and hit a home run with his first swing. His new Prime Video movie getting rave reviews.

“Música” debuted on Amazon’s streaming service last week (April 4), while it’s enjoying a very positive critical reception, it’s yet to appear on Prime Video’s most-watched list. This suggests it’s not quite getting the viewership its quality deserves, which is a shame.

If you’re looking for something new to watch this week, “Música” should be on the radar. This Prime Video original is even beating many of Netflix’s new movies. So, if you want to know what this romantic comedy with a musical twist is all about, here’s everything you need to know.

What is ‘Música’ about?  

“Música” is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age comedy from uber-talented internet personality, Rudy Mancuso. The performer co-wrote, directed and stars in this joyful movie, which sees him play a fictionalized version of himself. 

This movie version of Rudy is a street performer in Newark, who is struggling with synesthesia, a phenomenon that means he experiences everyday noises like car horns or doors slamming as music in his head. 

If that wasn’t enough to deal with, Rudy is also attempting to finish college, satisfy his mother’s demands for him to settle down and navigate his Brazilian heritage. Let’s just say that Rudy has a lot on his plate.  

Rudy’s already pretty complicated life gets even more hectic when he meets the beautiful and smart Isabella (Camila Mendes, Mancuso’s real-life girlfriend), who may just understand him in a way that nobody ever has. 

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‘Música’ reviews — here’s what the critics say 

This new Prime Video movie has debuted to impressive scores from critics. It currently holds a 96% rating on the reviews-aggregating site Rotten Tomatoes , and its audience score is also impressive, currently standing at 90%. 

These RT scores are especially noteworthy as they trump several flagship original movies that have landed on Netflix this year including “Lift” (29%), “Spaceman” (50%), “Damsel” (56%) and “Scoop” (76%). So in the battle to offer the best new streaming movies in 2024, Prime Video has managed to score a point against its biggest rival. 

Carlos Aguilar of Variety said that “Música” earns Mancuso his “filmmaking stripes” and suggested that his follow-up effort could be even better now that the creative has “gotten his origins story out onto the screen.” The critic also called its musical scenes a “whimsical whirlwind.” 

The Hollywood Reporter ’s Lovia Gyarkye was also impressed, saying, “Even when its narrative tips into clichéd territory, Música’s aesthetic remains loose and kinetic — an exciting reflection of its creator’s spirit.” Amy Nicholson of The New York Times noted that “Mancuso crams all of his passion into the movie” and called it “intentionally overwhelming.” 

“Despite a few unfinished edges and missteps, there’s much to savor in Mancuso’s feature debut,” said Monica Castillo of RogerEbert.com .  

Should you stream ‘Música’ on Amazon Prime Video?   

“Música” is a vibrant and heartwarming romantic comedy, that looks a near certainty to appear on our list of the best Prime Video movies . 

If you’re looking for something relatively lighthearted to watch this week, it’s the perfect pick. It’s also a great introduction to the wide-ranging talents of Rudy Mancuso who has marked himself as a filmmaker to watch. 

Also be sure to browse our roundup of all the top new movies to stream this week across streaming services, as well as a guide to the best new shows arriving over the next few days, which includes the debut of Prime Video’s highly anticipated "Fallout" TV show .  

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Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team. 

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2009, Comedy, 1h 28m

Where to watch Nobody

Rent Nobody on Prime Video, or buy it on Prime Video.

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Nobody   photos.

Lindeman struggles to find inspiration and puts himself into ridiculous situations.

Rating: PG-13 (Language|Some Drug Material|Sexual Content)

Genre: Comedy

Original Language: English

Director: Rob Perez

Producer: Damien Saccani , Christine K. Walker

Writer: Rob Perez , Ryan Miller

Release Date (Theaters): Oct 2, 2009  original

Release Date (Streaming): Mar 26, 2020

Runtime: 1h 28m

Production Co: Cider Mill Pictures, Lindeman Pictures

Cast & Crew

Mark Margolis

Professor Hagel

Helena Mattsson

Beth Riesgraf

Bonnie Somerville

Lindsey Broad

Ryan Lindberg

Nathan Shrake

Tyler Jensen

Emily Gunyou Halaas

Alec George

Philip Pavel

Mandi K. Smith

Screenwriter

Ryan Miller

Damien Saccani

Christine K. Walker

Executive Producer

Josh Hartnett

Miguel Bunster

Cinematographer

Daniel R. Padgett

Film Editing

Jeff Schoen

Production Design

Jill Broadfoot

Set Decoration

Laura Morgan

Costume Design

Matthew Lessall

Lynn Reinstein

Lynn Blumenthal

Critic Reviews for Nobody

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Amy Winehouse Biopic ‘Back To Black’ Gets Mixed Reviews After Social Media Backlash

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The first reviews for the upcoming Amy Winehouse biopic, “Back to Black,” are largely mixed with criticism for the film but praise for lead actress Marisa Abela’s performance, following social media backlash from users who feared the film would exploit the trauma Winehouse faced in her life.

Marisa Abela portrays Amy Winehouse in "Back To Black." (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)

“Back to Black” has a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on the first 18 critic reviews, indicating a “ rotten ” score—meaning fewer than 60% of critics gave it a positive review.

The film, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and starring Marisa Abela as Winehouse, reportedly follows the singer’s career through her death in 2011 at age 27.

“Back to Black” opens in U.K. cinemas on April 12 and U.S. theaters on May 17.

Chief Critics

Hamish Macbain, a Rotten Tomatoes top critic for the London Evening Standard , said the film was “so bad it made me gasp in horror,” citing “deep moral and ethical problems” and how the film “doesn’t bother to establish just how quickly Amy Winehouse became as famous as she did.” Rotten Tomatoes top critic Hayley Campbell criticized the film for Empire Magazine , lamenting the “weak script” and comparing it unfavorably to the 2015 documentary “Amy,” which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Rogan Graham, a Rotten Tomatoes top critic for Little White Lies , slammed the film for portraying Winehouse as a “friendless addict and tabloid joke” while serving as an “excellent alibi for those in Amy’s life who preyed upon her vulnerability and benefitted from her being overworked and exploited.”

Many reviews—even those that were otherwise negative—praised Abela for her performance as the singer. Variety critic Owen Gleiberman said Abela “nails Amy Winehouse in every look, mood, utterance, and musical expression” while praising the film as a “forthright and compelling movie.” The Hollywood Reporter critic Leslie Felperin considered the film’s exploration of Winehouse to be surface level, but praised Abela for delivering a “barnstormer of a performance.”

Key Background

The film sparked some controversy long before its release from social media users who feared it would exploit the singer’s mental health and substance abuse issues. In January 2023, pictures depicting Abela as Winehouse filming a scene in which she appears disheveled and emotional went viral on social media, with one tweet calling the pictures “f*cking revolting” garnering more than 32,000 likes. The trailer , which has 10 million views on YouTube, was also inundated with negative comments. “This won’t answer any questions or bring anything new to light. It will just dramatize an ultimately sad and painful end,” the top comment, liked more than 7,000 times, reads. “We really don't need an impression of her. Let her rest,” another comment with more than 4,000 likes states. Taylor-Johnson defended the film amid the backlash, stating in an interview last week the film “joyfully honours Amy” and that any other approach would have been exploitation. “Noise will always be big about something like this, but nobody has really seen it yet and we’ve made it through Amy’s words, music, her perspective,” Taylor-Johnson said, before critics’ reviews were published.

Surprising Fact

Some reviews addressed the social media backlash that “Back to Black” garnered. Gleiberman slammed the “pile-on of Internet sniping” in his review for Variety , calling Abela’s portrayal of the singer “every inch the Winehouse we know.” In a two-star review, The Independent critic Charlotte O'Sullivan acknowledged the movie was “hugely controversial” ahead of its premiere but denied that it is the “trauma porn” some fans feared it might be.

Further Reading

Back to Black: Why the controversial Amy Winehouse biopic is angering fans (BBC)

Back to Black director clears up misconception about Amy Winehouse biopic (The Independent)

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Screen Rant

Firefly's rotten tomatoes score compared to alan tudyk's 97% sci-fi is a reality check for the canceled 2000s show.

Firefly is one of the projects with which Alan Tudyk is often most associated, but another of his shows leaves Firefly in the dust on Rotten Tomatoes.

• Alan Tudyk's 97% Syfy show on Rotten Tomatoes surpasses Firefly 's rating, marking a significant shift in ratings and audience appeal.
• The success of Resident Alien highlights Tudyk's strength in more prominent and eccentric leading roles compared to his muted character in Firefly 's ensemble cast.
• Despite Firefly 's cult status, Resident Alien 's narrative and format appeal to a broader audience and achieve higher critical acclaim.

Despite Firefly 's lone season still being held in such high regard over two decades after it ended, the 97% Rotten Tomatoes score for a more recent Alan Tudyk show puts Firefly 's rating on the same website to shame. Joss Whedon's 2002 sci-fi/Western space opera was canceled even before all the episodes had a chance to hit the airwaves. Despite the show's low ratings, a sequel movie was released in 2005 called Serenity . However, even Firefly 's cult following couldn't stop Serenity from flopping at the box office .

Failures aside, members of the Firefly cast used the show as a platform on which to build a career - and Alan Tudyk was among the fortunate few. Tudyk has an impressive number of projects that are highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes , but one show in particular has a score that's a somewhat surprisingly high 97%. What's perhaps the most interesting is how Alan Tudyk's best movies and TV shows measure up to Firefly - one of his most revered properties among fans.

Why Joss Whedon's Firefly Was Cancelled After Just 1 Season

Resident alien is one of alan tudyk's highest rated projects on rotten tomatoes (firefly doesn't break the top 10), resident alien's harry vanderspeigle is a rare live-action role for alan tudyk.

Alan Tudyk's role as the eccentric Harry Vanderspeigle in Syfy's Resident Alien has contributed to the show receiving an impressive rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. By comparison, Firefly 's Rotten Tomatoes rating of 77% doesn't even make it into the actor's top ten projects . In terms of cultural impact, Firefly far outweighs Resident Alien , with the latter being relatively obscure when compared to 2002's genre-defying effort from Joss Whedon. Tudyk leads the Resident Alien cast as the titular extraterrestrial, with the show already boasting three times as many seasons as Firefly .

So, even with Resident Alien 's rockier patches, its Rotten Tomatoes rating still beats Firefly 's by a long way. Some of the other Alan Tudyk projects that beat Firefly 's Rotten Tomatoes rating include the TV shows: Harley Quinn , Devil May Care , and Doom Patrol . All three of these examples match or improve upon Resident Alien 's 97% rating, showing how much competition Firefly has for a top ten spot in Tudyk's working history.

It's not a huge surprise that Resident Alien surpasses Firefly 's Rotten Tomatoes score. The first episode of each show aired 19 years apart, and the television industry has come a long way since then - especially in science-fiction. As such, Resident Alien 's serialized dramedy format appeals to a much broader audience than Firefly 's niche following. Each show has its own formula, but Resident Alien staying away from episodic storytelling is a big part of why the overall narrative is so much more compelling than Firefly 's .

Resident Alien's Rotten Tomatoes Score Supports The "Firefly Is Overrated" Argument

Firefly's rapid cancelation may have contributed to its legend.

The high score awarded to Resident Alien is evidence that perhaps Firefly was never quite as good as fans claim . There's no doubt that Firefly 's blend of sci-fi and Western elements resulted in a thoroughly innovative TV show. However, when compared with a more cohesive project like Resident Alien , Firefly just doesn't measure up. Instead of being the paragon of quality that Firefly is viewed as by many of its fans, it's more likely that the 2000s phenomenon has been sensationalized and romanticized due to it being canceled so soon after its debut.

Resident Alien highlights Tudyk's strengths much better than his Firefly role ever did.

On the other hand, Resident Alien has been renewed more than once and has continued to tell a compelling story since it premiered in 2021. Resident Alien exists in a very different branch of sci-fi to Firefly , so it's hard to compare the two shows fairly. That being said, the gulf in their respective Rotten Tomatoes scores speaks volumes of how much more respect Resident Alien receives than Firefly , despite the latter being elevated to almost legendary status by its dedicated following.

Resident Alien Proves Alan Tudyk Is Better In More Prominent (And Eccentric Roles)

Playing harry vanderspeigle makes full use of tudyk's strengths.

Alan Tudyk played Hoban "Wash" Washburne as part of Firefly 's ensemble cast that was led by Nathan Fillion as Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds. Resident Alien highlights Tudyk's strengths much better than his Firefly role ever did . As Harry Vanderspeigle, Tudyk takes center stage and is afforded the opportunity to showcase his unique brand of eccentricity, even when he isn't sharing a scene with one of his Resident Alien castmates.

How Alan Tudyk Transforms Into Resident Alien's Harry Vanderspeigle: Prosthetics & BTS Process Explained

Inversely, Alan Tudyk's role as Wash in Firefly called for the actor to take on more of a supporting role rather than being involved in many of the show's main storylines. Wash had some great moments in Firefly , but Tudyk's role in Resident Alien allows him much more freedom during his performances as the Syfy show's leading man. Resident Alien is built on the shoulders of Alan Tudyk's charisma , whereas in Firefly , the actor's presence feels more like an afterthought than anything else.

Firefly can be streamed on Hulu, and Resident Alien is available on Peacock.

*Availability in US

Not available

Set in the year 2517, Firefly follows the crew of the Serenity, a smuggling ship operating on the fringes of Alliance space. Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) is a veteran of a civil war, bitter about having fought for the losing side and now making his living as an outlaw smuggler out among the distant colonies forgotten and ignored by the Alliance. However, after taking on paying passengers, Mal finds himself caught up in a conspiracy likely to bring the whole Alliance military down on him and his crew. 

Glen Powell Tapped to Star in Edgar Wright's Adaptation of Stephen King's The Running Man

The Anything But You star has signed on to star in Paramount's reboot of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger cult-classic.

• Glen Powell has reportedly landed the lead in Paramount's Running Man reboot.
• Director Edgar Wright and team aim for a faithful Stephen King adaptation after the 1987 film fell short of source material.
• Powell's star continues to rise with upcoming roles in Netflix's Hit Man and Universal Pictures' Twisters sequel.

One of the fastest rising stars in Hollywood, Glen Powell , has officially been tapped to play the lead in Paramount's reboot of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger cult-classic, The Running Man , according to The Hollywood Reporter . Powell is fresh off the success of Anything But You , which earned a surprising $217 million dollars at the box office for Sony Pictures. Paramount already has a working relationship with Powell, who appeared as the cocky and confident pilot 'Hangman' in Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.

Based on the novel by Stephen King (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman), The Running Man will be directed by Edgar Wright , who has been attached to the project since 2021 . Wright co-wrote the script with Michael Bacall, and will also serve as producer alongside partners Nira Park and Simon Kinberg. Wright first rose to prominence as director of the 'Three Flavors Cornetto' trilogy (S hawn of the Dead , Hot Fuzz , and The World's End ), and since then has been a mainstay in genre cinema.

The Running Man

*Availability in US

Not available

Powell will be seen next as a Houston police officer who goes undercover as a hitman, while trying to save a woman in need in the aptly titled Hit Man which debuts in Netflix on June 7. Following that, he'll appear alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones in Twisters , which serves as the long awaited sequel to the 1996 classic, Twister . The action disaster flick makes its theatrical debut on July 19, 2024, from Universal Pictures.

Edgar Wright Promises a Faithful Adaptation of The Running Man

Though it's been a favorite among genre fans for years, the 1987 version of The Running Man has come under scrutiny for not adhering well to its source material. Stephen King, who penned the original novel, even went so far as to distance himself from the project after realizing just how much it diverted from his original vision. Edgar Wright is determined to make an adaptation that will stick close to the book for not only the fans, but for himself as well.

Appearing on the 'Happy Sad Confused' podcast back in 2023, Wright spoke about how disappointed he was as a teenager upon seeing the Arnold Schwarzenegger film . Even back then, he knew that if he ever got the chance to make his own version, it would be a more faithful adaptation than the one delivered by director Paul Michael Glaser. He remarked that the novel is "something crying out to be adapted."

"Even as a teenager when I saw the Schwarzenegger film I was like, 'Oh, this isn't like the book at all!' And I think, 'Nobody's done that book.' So when that came up, I was thinking, and Simon Kinberg says, 'Do you have any interest in The Running Man?' I said, 'You know what? I've often thought that that book is something crying out to be adapted.' Now, that doesn't mean that it's easy! But it's something that we are working on, yes."

8 Upcoming Stephen King Adaptations to Get Excited About

There's no word yet on when Edgar Wright's version of The Running Man will go into production, but with Glen Powell's stock only rising in Hollywood, it would behoove everyone involved to get started sooner rather than later in order to capitalize on his success.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's The Running Man is available to stream for free on Pluto TV.