Director: Ben Wheatley
Writers: Derek Kolstad, Bob Odenkirk
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Ryan Allen, Lena Headey
Synopsis: Centers on a temporary small-town sheriff who uncovers dark mysteries after a local bank robbery.
I’m sure nobody saw it coming that Bob Odenkirk, in his third balls-to-the-wall, knuckle-busting, bone-crunching, lip-splitting action film in the past five years, has become the action star we need right now with his new film, Normal. An everyman who was once best known for Mr. Show and directing the failed comedy The Brothers Solomon, before striking it big with Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Generally, it is not, well, normal for a television star entering his late fifties, known for a broad mix of cerebral humor and silliness, to become our next great action star. Sure, give us your pretty boys like Glen Powell or any of the Chris’s. Yet, you, I, and the rest of America want to embrace a senior citizen with wispy hair, probably a Werther’s Original ready to go in his pocket, to bust some heads, spray some blood, and break some bones in the name of what’s right.
Yes, Bob Odenkirk in Normal delivers bruising entertainment that packs wild punches and savage laughs, with every intention of dragging the viewer across ice-cold asphalt, leaving shards of glass in their forehead. A quick ninety-minute shot of adrenaline, Odenkirk’s turn may not be award-worthy, but it is a damn good time at the movies or while holding your phone to take in six inches of action on your streaming screen.
The story follows interim Sheriff Ulysses (Odenkirk), who has come to Normal, Minnesota, filling in after the town’s long-term police chief died under somewhat shady circumstances, like freezing to death while ice fishing, even though the local townspeople say he was using a fly rod. Ulysses partners with the affable Mike (Billy MacLellan), befriends a local bartender (Game of Thrones alum Lena Headey), and is offered the job full-time by the mayor (Henry Winkler).
However, Ulysses begins to suspect something is off. A small, run-down town has somehow secured millions in donations to refurbish downtown. A little old lady overorders mauve-colored items, but never seems to sell a thing. The police station is equipped with more firepower than a Los Angeles SWAT unit. Even a local hardware store owner has dozens of sticks of dynamite, oh, and there’s a bank vault filled with cash and gold bricks.
Normal has an impressive pedigree behind it. From director Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) and writer Derek Kolstad, the mind behind the John Wick franchise and Nobody (co-written with Odenkirk), the film arrives with serious action credentials. The trio creates a subtle action film that sneaks up on you, leaving your head spinning. Filled with vigorous action sequences, the script is clever enough to have Odenkirk’s Ulysses observe quirky behaviors, letting the story come to him.
Those include surprises where suddenly good people are the villains, and bad ones have moral compasses. The story is outlandish, but there are always explanations that ground it a bit, to make things somewhat believable. The third is clever, until reality sets in. Wheatley gets back to his roots, with stylized action that practically screams, “Give the people what they want!” Those are genre picture thrills, which are stuck on repeat.
Now, not everything works as well as it should. You could argue the opening, which features a five-minute scene about the Yakuza, would have played better if it didn’t reveal the villains behind the illicit activities, allowing the audience to discover it alongside the characters in Normal. Then, there is a quick cameo from Henry Winkler, who leaves the film as quickly as you can say correctamundo, which, after thinking about it, you almost have to admire.
For what it’s worth, Normal’s third act takes the time to set up the final scenes that make the movie worth watching. A battle-royale action sequence is intense, even exhilarating. Then, the script gives Odenkirk’s character subtle shades of mystery, along with a framed storytelling device that reveals his backstory and shows that nearly everyone in the film struggles with their past, present, and future. Sure, it is messy, uneven, and utterly ridiculous, but by the time the film is over, Normal proves the past doesn’t just linger, it reloads.
You can watch Normal only in theaters starting April 17th!
