Nobody 2 review: Bob Odekirk stars in a familiar sequel that trades surprise for spectacle

DIrector: Timo TjahjantoCast: bobber Odenkirk, Connie carl august nielsen, king john Ortiz, RZA, Colin thomas j. Hanks, st. Christopher Lloyd, Sharon StoneRating: ★★The unlikeliest of action heroes, Bob Odenkirk is back for another round of bone-crunching mayhem in Nobody 2. What began in 2021 as a sly little genre surprise—where a suburban dad revealed himself to be a lethal assassin—has now turned into a franchise, for better or worse. The first film thrived on the novelty of watching Saul Goodman (Bob's most popular character from Better Call Saul) dismantle thugs; this one mostly asks you to enjoy him doing it again, just louder and bloodier.Directed by Timo Tjahjanto, with Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, RZA, Sharon Stone, and Colin Hanks in tow, the sequel, is deliriously entertaining, but it’s also a reminder that not every “nobody” needs a second chance.Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is still juggling his double life as a weary husband and father who also happens to be an assassin. His wife Becca (Connie Nielsen) has reached breaking point, while his teenagers—Brady (Gage Munroe) and Sammy (Paisley Cadorath)—barely notice him. To make matters worse, Hutch owes $30 million to the faceless organization he crossed in the last film, forcing him into a string of increasingly violent freelance gigs.In an attempt to salvage what’s left of his family life, he decides to take them on a vacation to Plummerville, a run-down resort town he remembers fondly from childhood trips with his father (Christopher Lloyd). Predictably, it doesn’t take long before the nostalgic getaway turns into a demolition derby. A minor altercation at the arcade spirals into war with the town’s crooked sheriff (Colin Hanks) and ruthless crime boss Lendina (Sharon Stone), who runs her empire with a mix of profanity and power suits.By the time Hutch teams up with his father and brother Harry (RZA) for a final stand in a booby-trapped amusement park, Plummerville looks less like a vacation spot and more like a war zone.The goodBob remains the franchise’s secret weapon. He’s not playing a slick superhero or an ageless assassin; he’s a middle-aged man with bags under his eyes and a deep desire to be left alone. That contrast makes the violence funnier, and his ability to sell both exhaustion and savagery keeps Hutch relatable, even when he’s turning local thugs into mulch.The action is staged with gleeful abandon. Elevator brawls, duck boat ambushes, carnival shootouts—Timo keeps the choreography brutal yet scrappy, leaning into absurdity without losing grit. The fights aren’t elegant ballets of violence; they’re messy, improvised, and all the better for it.The supporting cast adds spark. Christopher Lloyd returns as Hutch’s cantankerous but trigger-happy father, RZA exudes calm swagger as Harry, and Sharon Stone chews through every scene as Lendina, swearing like a sailor and delivering lines as if venom were an art form.The badThe problem is that the sequel can’t recreate the sense of surprise that made the first film click. We already know Hutch’s secret, so the reveal has been replaced with repetition. By the third or fourth mass brawl, the spectacle starts to blur.The story is wafer-thin, cobbled together from clichés about crooked cops, small-town crime lords, and family vacations gone wrong. The domestic subplot—Hutch’s strained marriage and ignored kids—rarely rises above being a narrative excuse for the mayhem. And while Sharon Stone is undeniably fun to watch, her campy villainy sometimes tips into parody, robbing the film of any genuine stakes.The verdictNobody 2 is bigger, bloodier, and more unhinged than its predecessor, but not necessarily better. It swaps novelty for noise, cleverness for chaos, and still manages to get by on sheer momentum. Bob’s performance grounds the madness, and the film hurtles along with enough energy to stay entertaining, even when it leans heavily on formula.If the first film was about discovering the “somebody” in a “nobody,” the sequel feels more like watching that somebody repeat himself. Still, Bob makes it worth the ride—proving that even if Hutch Mansell no longer surprises us, he still knows how to clear a room.