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'Nobody' (15)



Director: Ilya Naishuller

Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Aleksey Serebryakov, Connie Nielsen

Where can I watch?: Nobody is streaming on Prime Video

Rating: 4/5

Review: There was a moment, in the first 15 minutes or so, when I thought Nobody might be a genre-defining film, one that took the age-old notion that 'the man of the house should defend the house' and subvert it, so that the movie was a study of what it means to be a man in the 21st century. Dear reader, Nobody is far from an essay on society's obsession with 'the strong man' - it's a gun-toting, ass-kicking, Russian-beating action movie that's entirely enjoyable. Bob Odenkirk is Hutch Mansell - his everyday life is mundane, his marriage is on the rocks and his teenage son is, well, being a teenager. Then everything changes, and the bodies start piling up higher than even Boris Johnson would be comfortable with. 

There are obvious comparisons to be drawn with the John Wick series - a suburban man, a little past his prime, is suddenly thrown back into a world of violence. (Note: no animals were harmed in the making of Nobody.) However, I find that rather unfair: Hutch Mansell is far more grizzled than John Wick, with his slick suit, straight hair and sleek flashing neon backdrops; Hutch doesn't need a black stallion to kill his enemy - he just needs your average commuter bus! In between the slashing, hitting, shooting and stabbing (and there is a lot), the dryly witty script somehow manages to give a layer of depth to Mansell that's quite unexpected, while the excellent soundtrack (whoever picked Pat Benatar's Heartbreaker as the overture to a shootout deserves an Oscar) both delights and surprises. As I said, this isn't ground-breaking stuff, but it is decent, destructive fun that's both solidly written and produced. 

A Must-Watch?: Gory, gruesome and undeniably great fun, this ass-kicking outing marries a concise run time with a witty script and a soundtrack you'll have on repeat for days after. It'll also leave you wondering, is Bob Odenkirk kinda sexy? 

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