I’m curious how many of us look at who we used to be and feel something a little bit negative mixed with the nostalgia. Like maybe you don’t outright hate yourself but you think about some of the things you’ve said or did and feel regret or disgust. I hope in bearing my soul to you as the reader, and subsequently my editor, I’m not the only one with a few skeletons in my closet. I’ve shared my story prior to now. If you don’t know I was seventeen when I lost someone to suicide. This singular event uprooted my life’s path forever. Shortly after his death, I found myself touring with bands in the attempt to do suicide prevention work. I wanted people to know that they had value and worth.
I did this work faithfully for about three years until I felt led to stop. This halt in my life created a hurricane of regrets. Along those three years I had made many friends, one of whom I consider my best friend now. Coming out of that season, our friendship wasn’t always that way. We spent five years on hiatus. I legitimately hated this dude for some things that happened between us. I was too blind in my arrogance to see his side over my own. I spent too many days being angry for something that was out of both of our hands. I legitimately cut myself off from nearly every friend I had made along the way. I guess, to me, keeping them around would be a reminder of my own hurts and failures. Not to mention I was a pretty big hypocrite at this point in my life.
Standing on stages every night talking about not struggling with addiction or suicide. All while I was struggling heavily with pornography addiction. I’ve learned a lot during my time away from my former self. Much like El Diablo says in Suicide Squad, “That ain’t me. They say it’s me but that ain’t me. That guy’s gone. He’s dead.” I wouldn’t change a thing about that time in my life. It caused me to grow immensely and has prepared me in ways I can’t even describe for Victims and Villains. That’s not me in those memories that’s an immature brat looking for the spotlight. Bob Odenkirk faces a similar dilemma in his new movie, Nobody. The Odenkirk-led thriller tells the story of Hutch, an accountant and former hitman, who traded in his life of bullets and blood for domestic. Somewhere along the way nostalgia kicks in and Hutch finds himself against the Russian mob.
Nobody is a welcome surprise for the action genre. Odenkirk, most famous for his tenure on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, is an incredible leading man. Hutch is a character who is oddly sympathetic. In the same vein, he is an astonishing action star who earns his name alongside icons like John Wick and John Rambo respectively. Outside of Odenkirk, this cast is just as good. Connie Nielsen, Christopher Llyod, and RZA all round out the cast. The latter two give way to one of the most satisfying third acts of action movies in recent memory. When it comes to the cast, the only person I really find fault with would be our antagonist in Aleksey Serebryakov. It’s not to say that Serebryakov is bad or anything. He’s just a very bland character. His characterization is perhaps one of my few issues with this movie.
The action genre as a whole, as of late, feels like it wants to write very compelling characters in their protagonists. When it comes to their antagonists, however, they are one note and uninteresting. Serebryakov falls into this category. How many times do we need to see Russian stereotypes brought to the big screen in order to tell a story? It feels insulting to Russians for their cartoonish caricatures on screen. It’s like we’ve never moved on from the Bond days. Serebryakov is a character that we’ve seen hundreds of times before. His character is built up to be the worst of the worst. Audiences are treated to someone who seems to be nothing more than an aged out Bond villain. Serebryakov seems like he could have brought depth to the role but falls short due to genre tropes.
The screenwriter behind Nobody is none other than Derek Kolstad. Kolstad is the writer behind the first three John Wick films. The Wick influence is felt here. However, what makes Nobody stand out is its fight choreography and family dynamic. Family is a theme echoed heavily throughout the film. Audiences spent a lot of time with Odenkirk’s immediate family with Nielson as his wife and other scenes with Llyod as his father. Lloyd has some of the best moments in the film. I don’t want to spoil anything but he’s a definite scene stealer. Nobody’s fight choreography is brilliant. One of the first big fight scenes takes place on a bus and rivals Marvel’s infamous hallway fight scenes. The fight sequences are few and far between. It’s not overindulgent like Kolstad’s other famous action star. This film focuses a lot on family and character development. When the fight scenes do come, they are enormously satisfying.
Overall, Nobody is bound to be somebody within the action genre. Bob Odenkirk is a charming yet intimidating leading man. The fight choreography of this film is among the best we’ve seen since the first John Wick. The remainder of the cast with Connie Nieslon, RZA, and Christopher Llyod are among some of the best assets Nobody has. Unfortunately the film falls victims to some genre tropes. The antagonist in Aleksey Serebryakov is generic, as is his entire involvement with the film. Nobody gives Bond villains steroids for a flat antagonist. Despite its failures, Nobody is a beautiful addition to the genre greats.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: Early in the film we are introduced to a montage of Hutch’s daily routine. We are given no context. We just see him do the same thing every day. Drink coffee, go to work, go running, miss trash day, bitterly embrace your wife - and the list goes on. Hutch seems unhappy in his life and daily routine. When he embraces his hitman past it escalates to a degree he wasn’t prepared for. I wonder how many of us are in that same headspace. We grow weary of the same mundane things day in and day out. I get it. It can be extremely taxing on your mental health.
How we answer that makes the difference. Hutch made some poor decisions along the way and placed his loved ones in harm’s way. Healthy practices have to be implemented for mental health success. One of my friends has been going through some tough times recently. They’ve been searching for ways to cope in their struggles and grow in healthy ways. They’ve turned to reading and animals. Pets are a terrific outlet for mental health. I’m speaking from experience myself. When I feel down or need to vent or need company there is nothing better than cuddling with my cats. Find healthy ways to succeed in your mental health.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Nobody is property of Universal Pictures. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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