Rent Nobody on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Derek Kolstad
Directed by: Ilya Naishuller
Starring: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, Michael Ironside, RZA
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him going to a bloody war with a Russian crime boss.
Verdict
Who better to put a different spin on the John Wick formula than the original writer. It may be derivative, but that doesn't make this any less fun. This knows what it is and exactly how to pull it off. It's got solid casting and a great soundtrack, with brutal, messy fights. I wasn't sure what this was going to be after the first few scenes, and it keeps you guessing well into it. While it gets a bit bloated towards the end, it's a fun movie.
Watch It.
Review
From the same writer as John Wick, this shares more than a few parallels. That's not a problem.
Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is a middle aged man with a boring, monotonous life. A home break-in changes everything. We first think he's just scared for his safety. Everyone reacts like he's a coward for not risking his life. I thought this was going to be along the lines of Falling Down, with a normal guy snapping and pushing back on how people perceive him. Life has worn him down, conditioned him to stand down when confronted. The surprise is when we hear Hutch's side of the story. The reason he backed down wasn't cowardice. He felt sympathy for the thieves.
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| Bob Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell |
His daughter losing her bracelet in the break-in is enough to push him into action. I wondered, who is this guy. The movie teases that there's more to him than we've seen. He seemed like a beleaguered office drone, but each scene contradicts that.
The best scene in this movie, and coincidentally Shang-Chi had a scene with a similar setting, is the bus fight. This is when we finally realize Hutch isn't just an ordinary guy. The fight is brutal, and he takes some hard hits. I like that he isn't invincible, but still impressive. All of Hutch's frustrations are unleashed here. He's dangerous, though maybe out of practice. We're left wondering what's up with this guy.
John Wick is the easy comparison, but this does enough to differentiate itself. Where John Wick has slick fights, these are rough and raw. Hutch's bus fight upsets the wrong people. For the rest of the movie he's playing defense to save himself and his family. His background is finally revealed which answers a lot of questions.
You can tell this is on a budget, but it really maximizes what they have. The soundtrack is great, employed perfectly. This is just a fun movie with a bit of humor, though it's mostly dark. While it's clear John Wick is an inspiration with how this frames the movie and the antagonists, this movie is plenty of fun in its own right.
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