Directed by Timo Tjahjanto and produced by David Leitch, Nobody 2 follows Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), a seemingly ordinary family man that is also a highly skilled assassin. After taking his family on a vacation to a run-down resort town, he becomes accidentally embroiled with local criminals, including a corrupt sheriff and a ruthless crime boss, which makes this getaway more memorable than expected.
The first film was an unexpected flick that wasn’t revolutionary for the action film genre but was a damn fun and entertaining gem that earned a lot of love from many people and proved that Bob Odenkirk could be an awesome lead in an action film. With the film’s surprising success, a sequel was immediately in the works, this time taking a summer vacation-themed route following the recent trend of holiday-themed action flicks from 87North Productions. Did this sequel end up being a vast improvement over the first or was it more of the same but lesser?
Personally, I felt Nobody 2 was a good sequel that serves as both a fun continuation of Hutch’s story that improves and expands upon some things from its predecessor, while also being an absolute blast of a summer vacation action comedy full of brutal kills brought to life through fantastically crafted action. Like the first film, it isn’t a game-changer for the genre but instead just aimed to be an entertaining action flick, which it definitely succeeds in doing. This film has a few faults that stood out to me but this was still a great film that felt superior to many other summer vacation action comedies of the past that came off as lazy and boring, and this one certainly doesn’t feel like that in the slightest.
The performances are solid across the board from all of the returning cast members and the new faces that are part of this wild summer misadventure. Bob Odenkirk once again shines as Hutch Mansell, proving yet again to be a compelling action lead as we see this skilled assassin and charm-filled family man endure new challenges in this sequel. After the events of the first film, Hutch has had to go on assignments as an assassin to pay off the debt he owes for his previous actions, which results in the relationship with his family to grow distant, especially with his wife, Becca. So he takes this vacation to get closer to his family and to try to be distant from his impulsive, violent side, but that all becomes nearly impossible the moment he stumbles upon a large criminal operation in his childhood vacation spot.
The guy just wants to have a fun vacation with his family and reconnect with them so you can’t help but relate to and root for him when he has to put up with some bad guys that won’t leave him alone. Amongst the anger and brutality, I loved seeing Bob Odenkirk manage to deliver heart and humor with his performance to make this assassin character stand out compared to others we have seen.
His family ends up having much more of a role in this film compared to the first and I honestly liked them way more here, especially with Becca, who is given a really great performance by Connie Nielsen. We get to see her not only have some emotionally investing moments with Hutch as they try to keep their relationship together but also get to see her be a badass of her own, showing she’s much more than what she seems. Hutch and Becca’s chemistry feels much stronger in this film compared to the first and you can truly see why they do love each other despite Hutch’s violent tendencies, making you really root for them to stay together as things begin to escalate.
Christopher Lloyd does return as Hutch’s father David and like before he’s an enjoyable addition to the film, even when coming in small doses. We even get the brief returns of Hutch’s adopted younger brother Harry, reprised by RZA, and Hutch’s former government handler “the Barber”, reprised by Colin Salmon, that both have their own great moments, but I wish had a much larger part in this film especially since they both have stories of their own that can be explored.
We get three new faces in this sequel that come in the form of three villains: Wyatt Martin, a corrupt theme park operator played by John Ortiz; Abel, a corrupt sheriff played by Colin Hanks; and Lendina, the mastermind behind a bootlegging operation in this run-down resort town played surprisingly by Sharon Stone. Performance-wise wise all three commit to their parts and do a great job with their respective characters but as a whole I don’t think they were as good or menacing as the villain group of the first film. Sure, the villain group of the first film were pretty standard bad guys but they were given enough development to be true menaces to Hutch, while these three aren’t given nearly as much development, with the exception of Wyatt Martin, who is clearly is being forced into being corrupt as a result of family history with the other two villains.
Abel is an absolute love to hate kind of villain but isn’t given as much to do other than being a nuisance to Hutch. And Lendina, who is given a scenery-chewing performance by Sharon Stone, felt like a very underdeveloped and underwhelming villain despite being shown to be one vicious killer the very first moment we see her. Had they just given these three characters a bit more depth and development I feel they would have been equally as investing as Hutch and his family.
Just like the first film, the narrative is pretty straightforward, and while it does tend to play a few familiar beats from the previous film it throws in some fun twists to subvert expectations and avoid being a full repeat of the first film. There’s more focus on Hutch and his family in this film’s story, combined with a summer-themed action comedy setting that escalates the insanity and fun of the previous film to all new heights. And while the villains may not be as strong as they could have been I still felt engaged in everything that was going on because of the leading characters, and I never felt bored even once as this film provides heaps of entertainment once things kick off and it doesn’t hold back in the slightest. It doesn’t overstay its welcome but instead cuts right to the chase and doesn’t stop being fun and funny along the way.
If there was one other thing I wish we did get, it was perhaps further exploration of Hutch’s past that we only got glimpses of in the first film. I know the whole point of this character is to mostly have his past remain mysterious but one can’t help but want to know more about it. Perhaps if there ends up being a third installment we could get a further expansion on this.
The action is hyper-violent and insanely over the top in the best ways possible since it is crafted and shot to absolute perfection, resulting in some highly fun action sequences one would expect from an 87North Productions project. The choreography, the stunt work, the practical effects, the bloody violence, the editing, and the cinematography all feel like a major upgrade from the first film in size and scale. The style may feel different due to the film being in a new setting but it all looks fantastic and still grounded despite the escalation of things.
The kills are far more gruesome in this film compared to the first film and there is a hilarious usage of attractions in the resort that all come into play in a really fun and bloody third act that was built up over the course of the film. If there was one complaint I had it would be that there were a few moments of some poorly rendered CGI done for a few kills that I feel should have had more work done to them.
As for music, we do get a solid score from composer Dominic Lewis and some great needle drop songs that are placed throughout the film, with my favorite being The Power of Love by Céline Dion that is played in one of the most satisfying moments of the film.
This sequel certainly has its fair share of faults but it doesn’t feel like a massive step down to the previous film but instead just a solid continuation of such a fun and relatable character. It’s a great last-minute entry for the Summer of 2025 and I definitely feel that fans of the first film are going to enjoy this film like I did. I am going to give Nobody 2 a B = 86.
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