Nobody

Like Liam Neeson in 2008, another great actor has become an absolutely believable action hero, and someone that we did not expect it from. And Nobody benefits from how great an actor Bob Odenkirk is, just like from the action scenes directed by Ilya Naishuller. We are interested in Hutch's gradually uncovered past, we are interested in how much his loved ones actually know about him, and at the same time we are having fun with scenes such as the huge brawl in the bus, which reminds us that even such heroes get hit. Along with all this we get humor to lighten it up at the right moments, a great song soundtrack, Christopher Lloyd... Although, unlike John Wick, I don't want a sequel all that much, Nobody is still a great film. (06/24/2021)

I vividly remember going to see Hardcore Henry in the cinema a few years back, a film certainly didn't get lost in the glut of action movies with its visual concept and level of violence. Ilya Naishuller’s next film Nobody rides a similar wave of violence and action, only now you see the story from a familiar perspective (the "absent" cameraman). Nobody tries to be primarily an action thriller, but it quite forgots about the story and the continuity between scenes – at least that’s how it seemed to me (Hutch goes on his brutal spree, but why?). I had mixed feelings about the casting of Christopher Lloyd, he's really vital for his age, but the script just made a mockery of his character. Adequate for one viewing, but no more! (01/13/2023)

If you see Nobody and Naishuller's previous Russian pogrom Hardcore Henry on the same day, you'd almost think Ilya had farted a bit. Understandably, though, that's because this young directorial hopeful mainly had to show that he could make a film beyond gimmickry, with characters that were more than just amusing caricatures. While I don't know if it was very successful, but in a genre now dominated by overstylized John Wick spectacles, Atomic Blonde, and Gareth Edwards massacres, we could probably hold that bar a little closer to the ground. But it's a fact that nobody came here for character nitpicking, so let's stop worrying about the film (a dumbed-down mid-life crisis in which Kolstat managed to sell the same script a second time, doctored it with all sorts of picked-over heists from True Lies to The Equalizer, all in the name of small-town values) and address the action scenes. While what I remember most from the film is the awesome one-shot in which the antagonist walks into a bar, still I have to admire in particular the imaginative and joyful disposal of the poor and virtually mentally incompetent bad guys. Perhaps the blood is digital and the night scenes often don't look like they're set on planet Earth, yet most of the fatalities can still be enjoyed with fulfilling relish and the fifty-seven-year-old Odenkirk is simply believable. In the context of a TV movie (as we should approach a VOD production), a nice lunch break that will be fine for talking to your mates about how record companies should make the rights to use songs they own more expensive again, because this movie à la jukebox thing is becoming quite an annoying trend. (05/16/2021)

“Give me the goddamn kitty cat bracelet, motherfucker!” This magnificent action masterpiece that flips the finger to all the trashy action movies and hated entities that will suffer and sigh about how little dramatic, emotional, and philosophical its. I suffered through those boring artsy dramas for over a year, so fucking finally it's my turn for satisfaction, and I've reached more peaks than a horny nymphomaniac. Nobody takes the best from Taken, The Equalizer, and John Wick, and even though it borrows a few ideas, it upgrades, evolves and transforms them to a much bigger and more intense level, and it's an absolute gem in every way. Bob Odenkirk, at 58 years old, as a family man, shows that he has bigger balls than the entire Russian mafia. He trained intensely for two years, learned martial arts, worked like crazy for the role of an action hero, and you can fucking see it. He's a splendid and charismatic badass hero with a mysterious past that demands respect and nobody wants anything to do with him. He delivers great lines, is very convincing in action, very resourceful, intelligent, and you can see that he's still just a human, so he gets his ass kicked as well, he feels fatigue, vulnerability, and exhaustion. A precise technical aspect, a perfectly fitting soundtrack, honest old-school craftsmanship with well-utilized R-rated action, lots of great and funny ideas, the insertion of exaggeration into action scenes works absolutely perfectly, and there are several moments that I feel like replaying immediately. The grandpa is excellent, and his messing around with a pistol and a shotgun is awesome. The fight on the bus is properly tough and uncompromising, the shootout in the house is atmospherically intense, and the finale in the warehouse literally shatters your balls – I purred with pleasure like I haven't in a long time. (Putting the sniper rifle on the shoulder, firing and instantly knocking out the other guy with the recoil just blew me away). I also liked the Russian villain, and the action and the story itself are definitely above standard. If an action fan doesn't appreciate Nobody, they might as well commit seppuku or find another hobby. American cinema won't make a better action movie. After watching, of course, sweaty like Usain Bolt running the 100 meters, and that's how I like it! I hope for a sequel already in theaters and preferably with Naishuller collaborating with Evans and Stahelski. 10/10. (04/15/2021)