Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us) directs this sequel to the 2021 original about Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk), a seemingly docile family man who turned out to be a former assassin who goes to war with a Russian crime boss over a burglary. This time around, Hutch is trying to take his family on vacation, but oops! They visit a corrupt tourist town with a secret bootlegging operation run by Lendina (Sharon Stone). (89 min.)
Glen It’d be nearly impossible to top the original, but this sequel is trying. As it opens, Hutch finds himself on a hamster wheel of repetition, this time trying to work off $30 million in debt to a criminal organization by carrying out their dirty work. Ah, the drudgery of daily assassinations. His wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen), is frustrated by his workload and concerned that his tendency toward violence is rubbing off on their son, Brady (Gage Munroe). He needs a break, so he decides to load up the family, including daughter Sammy (Paisley Cadorath) and father David (Christopher Lloyd), and head to Wild Bill’s Majestic Midway and Waterparkāthe only place his father took Hutch and his brother Harry (RZA) on a vacation as kids. They’re there to “make memories,” but they turn out to not be the kind Hutch hoped for when town bullies ruin his family fun.
Anna Of course, Plummerville, the hybrid amusement park/town they visit, is also the center for some illegal hijinks, corrupt cops, and the seriously scary Lendina. Hutch just can’t catch a break from his 9-to-5, which happens to include a task list of stomping out henchmen and ringleaders alike. After an altercation between Brady and Plummerville head honcho Wyatt Martin’s (John Ortiz) son, Hutch is told quite plainly to scram, but Hutch is determined to give Becca and the rest of the fam the vacation he promised. That means water parks and carousels, hot dogs and duck boats. What he gets alongside those innocent family moments is a whole lot of people after him, bound and determined to run him out of town. What Sheriff Abel (Colin Hanks) and his goons soon realize is that simple family man Hutch Mansell isn’t just a dad on vacay or a normal civilian. He’s a killing machine when his back is against the wall, and he won’t be leaving town until he takes them all down.
Glen Stone is amazing as Lendinaāpositively unhinged! As bad as Martin and Sheriff Able are, they’re victims of Lendina’s cruelty too. Like the original, this neo-Western ends in a showdown. Hutch’s brother, sensing he’s in crisis, shows up to lend a hand during the final battle. Father David goes into full geriatric Rambo mode. Even Becca, who turns out to be a crack shot, gets in on the action. The bloodshed gets pretty graphic, and the film earns its R-rating. But the story also has a lot of heart. It’s all about the importance of family, which is a very sweet message contained in a film with flying body parts. I was completely entertained and grateful for its tight 90-minute runtime. It flew by.
Anna After a summer of bloated blockbusters with uber-long run times, Nobody 2 is a perfect palate cleanser. It has the fun of road trip comedy, the comically bloody fight scenes of the first film, and a great cast. Odenkirk is a fun action star simply because at first glance he doesn’t fit the bill. His Hutch is whiskered and a bit worse for wear because of his line of work, but when it’s time to kick bad guy butt, he’s surprisingly convincing as a badass. See this oneāyou’ll enjoy indulging in this violent, fun, popcorn flick with a lot of heart. Ī
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Aug 21-31, 2025.