Short Story Long — Just Another BS Hollywood Fantasy Cartoon

And a violent and noisy one.

I like Bob Odenkirk — probably more than you do. And have for much longer. I was a fan way back in the 90’s when he was really nobody on HBO’s Mr. Show. I wanted him to be his appealing, everyday mook self attacked in his home who then drops all civility to protect his family.

That ain’t this movie.

The first ten minutes are fantastic. All style, yet a compelling montage of the workaday urban life, home to work to back again. A bus is involved. Two jumpy rank amateurs with black hoods and guns try to rob his house but don’t find much. Meanwhile Mr. Calm finds a golf club, all set to swing a fatal blow, but stops short, appearing to have an attack of conscience. The attacker continues beating his son. “Hey!” says dad, still not swinging. “Dad!” yells kid, appalled that Dad did not swing to save him.

This is good: original, believable, stuff I haven’t seen before. For awhile it goes like this, faking left when you expect right. There’s even a sit down with the Head Bad Guy, where Nobody tried to convince his opponent that resistance is futile — he should accept his (total) loss and walk away. Far away, like to a lesser Caribbean island where Nobody can find him.

In real life, the chance of such an offer being taken up would be right slim, but in an industry action pic it’s zero. The big bangs must continue until maybe one remains. Them’s the rules, and despite a fresh opening promising different, this flick just spends the last half going by the numbers. Good fight scenes, if you’re still excited by these choreographed dances with squibs and fake blood. I’m not.

You see, he is NOT Nobody, despite his constant claims otherwise. Far from it. So far so that any John Q. Public credibility those early scenes worked to establish gets burned up with the basement …. but I’m getting ahead of myself. He’s way too calm to be a pro. And too sarcastic. Killers are like that in movies because that’s what the screenwriters think the audience wants — not because they believe they actually are. You won’t believe it either, but you may like it anyway, and there are more of you than me and that’s how hits are made. I would much rather have seen the movie where he is, in fact, nobody (uncapitalized). I’m no longer interested in cartoons.

I so looked forward to this. Unfortunately in the end, we get just another BS Hollywood fantasy cartoon with little connection to reality. Clearly touched a nerve in these lockdown times, but more as a venthole for all our pent-up anger. What better target than an endless supply of Russian assholes? Never mind that nothing like this could or would ever happen in that space we daily inhabit called real life.

Go find something much better and free on Netflix, Prime, hulu, Kanopy, or Hoopla. Trust me, there’s tons of it. You don’t need this one.