Nobody (2021) - Entertaining John Wick copycat case - 7/10 (28/06/21)

Nobody is an action movie in the key of the John Wick franchise directed by Ilya Naishuller, who had his breakthrough with Hardcore Henry six years earlier. The movie revolves around a former assassin who has become a husband, father of two children and company worker who has kept a low profile for two decades. Things start turning sour after a case of break and enter when he decides to not assault the two masked criminals and lets them go which disappoints his son. The protagonist can't turn the page on those events since he is being ridiculed by everyone around him. He decides to track down the two criminals to teach them a lesson and get the stolen goods back. Just as the protagonist is ready to go back to his ordinary life, he encounters a group of intoxicated thugs who get on his bus to wreak havoc. The protagonist intervenes and severely injures his opponents. The problem is that one of the victims is the brother of a Russian crime lord who decides to go after the protagonist.

This movie convinces on several levels. First of all, the action scenes have excellent choreography as they offer much entertainment. Secondly, lead actor Bob Odenkirk is playing way out of his comfort zone and delivering a surprisingly convincing job. The film convinces with solid pace and a perfect length of roughly an hour and a half.

One the negative side, the movie clearly jumps the bandwagon and copies recent success stories such as the John Wick franchise. There is no creativity to be found in the dull plot. The opening thirty minutes overstay their welcome to introduce the different characters. The movie has an overall exaggerated tone intertwined with more serious passages which makes it somewhat unbalanced. Even after having watched the entire movie, one can't be sure whether this is supposed to be a serious action film, a parody or an awkward mixture between those extremes.

Nobody is an overall entertaining and fast-paced action film that is best enjoyed with a couple of friends when you just feel like switching off your brain for one hour and a half. However, this type of movie has been done on numerous occasions in the recent past and can't compete with the greatest genre entries such as the John Wick franchise. This movie is therefore slightly overrated but nevertheless a welcome gem if you're craving for some light entertainment with lots of violence.