eing one of the top operators in the game doesn’t leave much room for family life. Attempting to pay off a staggeringly large debt by taking on contracts for kingpin The Barber (Colin Salmon), Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) finds himself spending less and less time with his faithful wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) and their two children (Paisley Cadorath and Gage Munroe). Desperate to reconnect with his kin and give them a vacation filled with fond memories, Hutch takes the entire Mansell clan, including surly Grandpa (Christopher Lloyd), to Plummerville, a bustling lakeside tourist trap, boasting an enormous water park. But once there, it’s not long before Hutch’s violent tendencies attract trouble in the form of the town’s arrogant overlord (John Ortiz), its corrupt sheriff (Colin Hanks), and the vicious gangster (Sharon Stone) financing a sprawling criminal underworld running throughout the county. “You’ll want to deescalate the situation.”

“Nobody 2” definitely doesn’t reinvent the wheel. In fact, it’s so unoriginal and by-the-books that it very much is the wheel. The thing is, the formula it employs, which takes a generally agreeable underdog who just wants to mind his own business but is forced into action by bullies, is undeniably effective. Almost unbelievably, it’s so effective that when every sequence transpires, presenting the most predictable happenings imaginable, which refuse to deviate from a clearly predefined course, it still works. And the introduction and most of the second and third acts are comparable to the 2021 film, utilizing many of the same editing techniques and roles. What it leaves out is any nuance in the character development; Hutch is already a known badass, and therefore doesn’t need to conceal his abilities or negotiate an emotional balance with family members who might disapprove of a perceived cowardice. Here, it’s simpler – and more enjoyable for that lack of ambiguity.

In many ways, it helps that Odenkirk is older (63 for the film’s release), because he appears more representational and down-to-earth for a great many viewers who can revel in the brutal recompense he dispenses against aggravating thugs. It may be wishful thinking, but it’s the kind of fantasy that feels entirely just. In other ways, however, it appears unconvincing; he never quite looks as if he possesses the agility, strength, and stamina necessary to mow down minions without pause, all while repeatedly getting pummeled in the face. He can’t hide his age and physicality quite the same way as John Wick, from which this surely lifts a few elements. Still, there’s something to be admired about this atypical man-of-action – a far cry from the oversized, macho he-men of the ‘90s like Schwarzenegger and Stallone. In real life, Hutch is a bad role model; but in a fictional movie, he’s the perfect, unassuming, cathartic incarnation of vengeance against truly deserving punks.

“This job is in your nature.” Perhaps most unlikely of all is Hutch’s patient wife, who can’t bring herself to voice opinions on her husband’s constant absence, and doesn’t think much about the family getting dragged into the dangers of his career. It’s probably a good thing that they’re all formidable fighters themselves from time to time – and are main characters who definitely wouldn’t succumb to any harm in an action/comedy like this. Virtually everything outside the action scenes – which once again benefit handsomely from Odenkirk performing a lot of his own stunts – is flimsy, generating groans rather than sympathy or understanding, while the humor is oftentimes insufficient to combat the needlessly grisly violence (a continuing problem from the original movie). Yet unlike the previous picture, which borrowed a lot of its design from other projects like “RED” and “The Equalizer,” this one doesn’t bother to present itself as anything other than nonstop silliness, with hordes of villains throwing themselves into the swinging fists (and edged weaponry) of the protagonists. As anticipated and frivolous as it is, even the finale, which boasts high-octane showdowns and plenty of nameless and faceless baddies swarming into a carnival-set meat-grinder, musters decent amusement; with its one-note dedication to revenge-fueled mayhem, it’s difficult not to be pleasantly diverted for the film’s brief runtime.

– The Massie Twins