‘Nobody 2’: From a hit to an average sequel

Bob Odenkirk reprises the role of a professional assassin masquerading as a family man in ‘Nobody 2’. Sharon Stone plays the arch villain. Timo Tjahjanto takes over directing duties for this follow-up to 2021’s surprise sleeper action hit, but this sequel isn’t as surprising or funny as the first film.

Hutch, the professional assassin, owes a debt of $30 million to the Russian mob after he made the mistake of burning their money in the last film. So, Hutch (Bob Odenkirk) is working all the time to pay off those debts and wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) is not happy about that. The kids, Brady (Gage Munroe) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), also feel neglected. Obviously, they have to go on a much-needed vacation.

They choose Plummerville, a summer resort with a rundown amusement park, because of its association with Hutch’s nostalgic childhood years. Hutch even picks up his elderly father (Christopher Lloyd), resident of an old age home, to accompany them on this family vacation.

‘Nobody’ sprang a surprise with its construct of an unassuming, middle-aged central character overcoming gangs of lethally-armed men half his age. This film does much the same but it’s no surprise any longer. Screenwriters Derek Kolstad and Aaron Rabin’s simple but ingenious premise doesn’t provide any amusement.

The main face-off begins innocently enough, with an altercation at an arcade between Brady and another boy — as a result of which Hutch’s young daughter gets hit on the head. Hutch, the assassin, gets kicking and runs amok on the employees.

The town’s belligerent Sheriff (Colin Hanks) and crooked theme park owner (John Ortiz) are not amused and plan a counter-attack. All hell breaks loose eventually, as Hutch learns that the town is the centre of operations of a female crime boss, a psycho called Lendina (Sharon Stone). He decides to use his entire bag of tricks to make sure his family is safe.

Director Tjahjanto stages the chaos-ridden, mayhem-filled proceedings with routine exuberance. The blend of bone-crushing violence and slapstick humour doesn’t mesh well though. The action is preposterous and ridiculous, the plot unbelievable. This film fails to subvert expectations.

Even Odenkirk, as the unlikely aged action movie star, fails to make this markedly woeful extravagance something to get excited about. The film’s worn-out formula gets thinner in the course of its runtime.

The climactic battle pitting Hutch, his father and adopted brother Harry (RZA) against a firepower-heavy Lendina and her armed minions in an amusement park, booby-trapped constructively, fails to rouse the audience. The loophole-ridden action sequences and the brief ungainly swerves into deadpan humour don’t make this compelling.

This film may not bore you to death, but doesn’t entertain either.