Nobody 2 (Timo Tjahjanto, 2025)

Bob Odenkirk and friends get a well-deserved victory lap with the entertaining Nobody 2, even if the ultra-violent action comedy lacks the urgency of the first movie.

Nobody (2021), written by Derek Kolstad  and directed by Ilya Naishuller, was an unexpected success, grossing almost sixty million dollar on a 16 million budget, and that’s before it became a huge hit on video on demand.

A sequel made sense, especially in an industry looking for fresh franchises, but if the new movie lacks anything, it’s quite obviously the element of surprise.

The first movie made us believe that an ordinary and even somewhat docile family man, Hutch Mansell, could after a simple burglary become an overnight avenging angel with a rage so big he could take on (and out) a complete Russian crime mob. 

Halfway through the movie, though, it became clear that Hugh was a former trained operative who had tried to put his violent past behind him to give himself and his family - his wife Becca (Connie Nielsen), son Brady (Gage Nielsen), daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), father David (Back to the Future’s Christopher Lloyd) and brother Harry (RZA) - a chance at a normal life.

In the new movie, written by Kolstad and Aaron Rabin and directed by Timo Tjahjanto, Hutch is back to his old ways as part of the Organization, in an attempt to pay off a 30 million dollar debt, incurred after the events in the first movie.

But during the holiday season even a lethal operative like Hutch needs some time off with the family. 

And so they head off to Wild Bill’s Majestic Midway & Waterpark in Plummerville, a place that not only rhymes with Summerville, but which Hutch also remembers fondly from his youth. 

It’s also the place where he hopes to make new memories for himself and his loved ones.

But what should have been an old fashioned vacation full of good clean fun, quickly turns violent, and when Hutch can’t quite control his inner rage, he eventually comes face to face with a new set of adversaries, led by Sharon Stone, who gets support from the likes of John Ortiz and Colin Hanks. 

Not everything is as it seems, though, and as   there are plenty of twists and turns along the way, I won’t spoil much more.

The first movie could be seen as a social commentary on white rage, bubbling under the surface and exploding in a storm of extreme violence.

The new movie feels more like escapism, pure and simple. 

Even though Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad) is still the focus of the movie - and his character doesn’t get any closer to clearing his debt - all the other main and supporting characters get their moments to shine. 

And the action scenes are once again, something to behold and even savor.

Directed with plenty of verve by the Indonesian action-master Tjahjanto, the story also leaves plenty of room for a third movie, and possibly even a streaming series somewhere down the line. 

Nobody 2 isn’t quite as good as the first movie, and it sometimes borders on self-parody, but as long as you’re in on the joke, that’s actually fine.

I give it 3 stars!