I actually was able to watch Nobody without any background on it other than the cover (suggesting an action flick), the actor, and that it had a certain amount of buzz. And it was a good experience to be so clueless… and the movie is pretty decent but not, in my estimation, up to the praise it has received. Unfortunately.

The movie stars Bob Odenkirk as an average family guy trudging through his repetitive life… every day like the one before, bored and dissatisfied. When burglars break into his home, he’s unable or unwilling to fight back… which makes everyone from his son to his neighbor to the cops look at him as less of a man. This gnaws at him until he decides to do something about it… and it turns out he used to be a bad ass secret agent and he gets to un-retire those special skills.

So the best thing this movie has going for it is Bob Odenkirk as this secret super agent in retirement. Bob Odenkirk with his average guy hangdog face and persona. In the 80s, they’d have hired Arnold Schwarzenegger to play the part and he would look and sound like Arnold (and be utterly unconvincing as an average guy). And even recently, they’d have hired Keanu Reeves (and they basically did) who has a history of action films. But Bob Odenkirk is the best possible choice since he really does seem like your average joe. And that carries a decent amount of the movie.

That is… until it doesn’t. See, this movie shares so much with the John Wick movies that it’s impossible to judge it without them in your rearview mirror. And the fact is, John Wick and, indeed, many modern action films, have action scenes that are just far better than what Nobody offers. I don’t think Nobody’s action is terrible and credit to Odenkirk for doing much of it himself… but it just can’t hold a candle to these better films. Which means that it’s ultimately just an average series of action scenes tied together by a slim and very familiar plot and its familiar plot contrivances.

My point is… I grew bored. Not a compelling or original enough story to carry such ok-ish action. Generic Russian gangster villains and very few original action beats that just don’t cut it. I was very surprised by my reaction since I was pretty sure this was going to be a cool little action flick once it got rolling. It’s unfortunate. But if it’s any consolation, I bet there’s enough people that disagree that it negates my average review score. Shrug. Sometimes yer just wrong.

Score: 75