Everyman “nobody” Hutch Mansell and his family are on vacation where he accidently stumbles into a massive drug and weapons sale. Hutch’s love for his family is apparent. But the film mostly swirls around Hutch beating foes into a bloody pulp, with viscerally foul language along the way.
Hutch Mansell has been forced back into his former business. And he’s incredibly good at it.
Hutch, you see, is an average, totally unnoticeable schlub of a guy who can slip into any setting. But he also has the thump-shoot-and-hack skills necessary to accomplish whatever job he’s given.
You want a guy who can step into an elevator and beat down a crew of thugs in close quarters? Hutch is your man. You want someone who can take out a car full of Brazilians with machetes? Just give Hutch a strip of cloth and a random piece of metallic scrap and stand back.
The problem is, heavy-handed work like that takes its toll. Not only does Hutch end up constantly covered head-to-toe in bruises and cuts, but his family never sees him. Frankly, he needs a vacation.
That’s when he spots an old advertisement for the waterpark over in Plummerville. Back when he was a kid, Hutch’s dad took him and his brother Harry there on a summer vacation. It was the one and only time they had ever gone on vacation together. And it marked a summer filled with wonderful memories.
That’s what his family needs right now: good memories, a little rest and relaxation. Hutch’s wife, Becca, agrees. Her only demand is that Hutch must promise to leave his “business” behind. No rough housing, no demolishing a hotel lobby or shoving heads through plate glass windows.
Hutch readily makes that promise. All he wants is fun, memories and relaxation.
When they get into Plummerville, everything goes just great. The famed waterpark is just like he remembers. The rides, hot dogs and arcades are just as fun. And the Mansell family begins to unwind.
But then some loudmouth adult in the arcade starts pushing and shoving people around. And he ends up slapping Hutch’s sweet young daughter, Sammy. That sort of behavior doesn’t sit well with Hutch, even in a fun place like Plummerville. You don’t slap sweet little Sammy.
Looks like a promise is about to be broken, along with … a few other things.
Hutch’s desire for a vacation in Plummerville stems from his hope to draw closer to his wife and kids. In fact, the only reason he’s back in business with a mysterious individual known as “The Barber” is because of his past actions protecting his family members. Those actions incurred a large debt that Hutch must pay off through small, well-paid missions.
All of that to say, Hutch’s choices stem from his love for family members. He doesn’t always make wise or well-tempered decisions, but they’re driven by a sense of protection. And even after Hutch realizes that his own actions weren’t the best, he admits his flaws and tries to point his son in a better direction.
Becca loves Hutch and she wants what’s best for him and their family, too. She later steps up to save her husband. A wealthy man named Wyatt Martin, demonstrates those same sensibilities. At first, we think he’s the mastermind behind a large drug and illegal weapons sale. But we learn that he’s been forced into his actions because of his desire to protect his son, Max. Hutch steps up to rescue the kidnapped Max and to free him from killers.
When Hutch goes to The Barber for time off for a vacation, the mysterious operator tut-tuts his actions, suggesting that the effort will end poorly. “The nature always wins,” he tells Hutch. “Wherever you go, there you are.” He implies that violence will follow Hutch wherever he goes. And it does.
But Hutch’s father, David, suggests that nurture is stronger than nature. He tells Hutch not to give up on teaching his son about making good choices. He puts his arms around his two violent sons (Hutch and Harry) and says, “Believe it or not, you guys are an improvement on me.”
None.
Hutch and Becca kiss. Becca wears an unbuttoned shirt. A woman named Lendina wears a tight and low-cut outfit, as do other women in a club.
Very reminiscent of the first movie, the pummeling and slashing violence of Nobody 2 is a very common focus. Hutch whales into groups of men in an elevator, a car garage, a tour boat, a drug-packed warehouse, a house of mirrors and a variety of settings around a waterpark.
In each case we see men slammed down on railings and any flat or sharp surface. Their faces are battered viciously, blood spurting and spewing. Objects are jammed into people’s eyes and mouths; teeth get ripped out and sent flying in slow motion. Hutch picks up any nearby object to jab or smash foes with. For instance, he drives an anchor into a man’s shoulder, after which the guy is dragged overboard and quickly sinks beneath the water.
A katana sword slashes through a man’s mouth, and we watch as the upper part of his head slides off its foundation. Someone is jammed face down on a whirling buzz saw. People slip down water slides onto huge spikes. An individual is riddled with gunfire, and his head is ripped open by a shotgun blast. A woman is shot in the eye by a tranquilizer dart. Men are obliterated by landmines and automatic weapons. A man’s hand is pinned to a table by a large blade through his palm. Someone else’s throat is then slashed open by a sharp jewelry piece. Etc.
Of course, Hutch gets almost as much pummeling as he gives. His pinkie is slashed off, for instance, and the camera stares at the stump and its slightly protruding bloody bone. We see him use a hot lighter nozzle to cauterize an open wound. He’s beaten ruthlessly with poles and hand weapons and generally covered in open, seeping cuts.
Hutch’s father, David, stubs a cigar out on his own hand. Massive explosions rip open buildings. An explosion in a plastic ball pit literally blows men into flying chunks, including severed arms and legs. A series of explosions is so huge that it obliterates scores of men and lights up the night sky.
The dialogue is thoroughly perforated with 40 f-words, eight s-words and multiple uses of “d–n,” “a–hole,” “a–,” “h—” and “b–ch.” Jesus’ name is used with an f-word.
David smokes several cigars. Hutch drinks with several people and brings a special bottle of wine to share with his wife, Becca. We see the drug boss and club owner drinking heavily (along with a crowd of other patrons) at her club. A man is hit in the head with a beer bottle that someone else was drinking from. Wyatt Martin gets drunk after swilling glasses of booze.
We see a warehouse packed with undefined drugs and weapons.
None.
A great sequel tends to build on the original film’s story by, among other things, expanding its world; heightening the story conflict; deepening the character development; and finding a way to make something that an audience is already familiar with taste fresh and organic.
Nobody 2 kinda botches the recipe on all of those fronts.
It still has Bob Odenkirk and Connie Nielsen. They comfortably slip back into their Nobody roles and give us someone to cheer for. And you believe that this husband-and-wife duo is fighting for their family with all the grit they can muster. But everything else feels a bit like overcooked sequel stew prepared by a chef who can’t quite remember the ingredients he should use.
Of course, that stew also has pipe-thumped faces, wrenched teeth, cleaved heads, blood-and-guts chunks and blazing hot profanity simmering in its cinematic gastronomy. So it’s not a very tasty or family-friendly dish.
There are surely better options on the marquee menu.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
