The new action movie Nobody has drawn comparisons to the John Wick franchise, but how does the film's action scenes stack up to Keanu Reeves series?
Warning: Spoilers For Nobody
How do the action scenes of Nobody compare to those of the John Wick franchise? Penned by John Wick scribe Derek Kolstad and co-produced by David Leitch - co-director of the first film - Nobody sees Bob Odenkirk portray Hutch Mansell, a seemingly typical suburban family man whose unassuming exterior hides the deadly killing machine he really is. Odenkirk, well-known for his portrayal of Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, makes the leap to full-blown action star with Nobody, and its punishing action scenes make it a genuinely worthy contender of the standard set by John Wick.
To be sure, the film itself has been heavily likened to John Wick, with the two clearly cut from the same assassin action movie cloth, and the involvement of both Kolstad and Leitch has only strengthened those comparisons. With John Wick now three chapters into its series, with two more already greenlit, it's best to look at Nobody alongside the first John Wick. By that criteria, Nobody is starting strong.
John Wick blended gun-fu with martial arts in a way that hadn't really been seen in Hollywood since The Matrix trilogy, and also kicked off a huge resurgence for Keanu Reeves, something the movie itself was clearly aware of with its endlessly memed "I'm thinkin' I'm back!" line. Directed by veteran stuntmen Leitch and Chad Stahelski (though only the latter was credited), Wick was a big sleeper hit in 2014, spawning two increasingly successful sequels that took the film's hybrid action to new heights. Nobody is perhaps even rawer in its fight scenes than the first John Wick, and Hutch tends to be more of a roll-with-the-punches type of fighter compared to John. Odenkirk reportedly put in two years of training in preparation for Nobody, and it really shows.
Nobody's bus brawl, in which Hutch unleashes his pent-up fury on a street gang, and his defense of his family against home invaders present him as a warrior in sheep's clothing. Hutch is also highly skilled with firearms and booby traps, transforming his office building into a dungeon of death before luring his pursuing enemies in to meet their doom in the climactic showdown. While it's somewhat more rough and tumble compared to Wick's surgical precision with sidearms, it also works for the movie's portrayal of Hutch as having been out of the assassin game considerably longer than John was.
With Odenkirk at a more advanced age than Reeves was in the first John Wick, Hutch comes with a bit more of a Logan feel as an older fighting machine who should not be underestimated. With Nobody enjoying a very favorable reception and seeming poised to be a box office hit (relatively speaking, in the COVID-19 era), Hutch Mansell returning for Nobody 2 looks like a good bet. The John Wick franchise has simply gotten better with each new chapter and has grown into a true titan. With excellent action scenes of its own and Bob Odenkirk's engaging portrayal of Hutch, Nobody is off to a similarly fantastic start.
