When I first heard about this movie, all I needed to hear was Bob Odenkirk to be invested in checking out the film. Bob Odenkirk is turning the everyman into an art form and I am here for it. What I hoped for was solid actors around him and a fun movie. I got way more than solid. We got crazy fun action and comedy, actors that are brilliantly funny and Nobody meets Fargo with all the quirkiness that entails.
Normal is an action film directed by Ben Wheatley and written by Derek Kolstad is based on a story written by Kolstad and Bob Odenkirk. In the movie, Bob Odenkirk stars as Ulysses who has arrived in Normal, Minnesota in the winter to be interim sheriff following the death of the previous sheriff. He interacts with the townsfolk, his deputies and Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler), who even offers him a permanent job. He even meets up with the local bartender, Moira (Lena Headey). Still, not everything seems quite normal in Normal as days into the job, a bank robbery draws Ulysses to the local bank. When he enters to try to negotiate with the robbers, Lori (Reena Jolly) and Keith (Brendan Fletcher), his deputies, Mike (Billy MacLellan) and Blaine (Ryan Allen), open fire on him. At this point, he discovers that the town has made a deal with the Yakuza and in order to survive, Ulysses must team up with Alex (Jess McLeod), the previous sheriff’s kid, to figure out a way out of the mess and keep everyone from dying. The film also stars Peter Shinkoda as Joe.
Part of what makes this such fun is all the quirky characters that Ulysses meets at the beginning of the movie. His deputy Mike likes to talk and owns a noisy motorcycle jacket but no motorcycle. Blaine is trying to run for Sheriff. Mayor Kibner wants to see the local moose. Lori is sweet and owns a dog. The local yarn shop lady owns a police scanner. Everyone is unusual in this seemingly ordinary town. As you see just how unusual everyone is, it only adds to the action and the fun.
Another aspect that I truly appreciated as a writer is the ton of details that are sprinkled into the movie from the start. These details become important to the action and to the mystery as the film unfolds and Ulysses has to try to survive. Even his nightmares are important to who Ulysses is and why he’s been taking interim sheriff jobs instead of settling down into his own town. And the tendency the character has to calm events down becomes even more important once the action ramps up.
The action is outstanding. The whole town is packed to the gills with unexpected firepower. I don’t want to spoil that aspect but trust me, one of the best elements is the unexpected weapons that Ulysses and the others pick up in their fight for survival. The fights are messy but fun, especially the various ways in which people die or unexpectedly get involved. The action is written to heighten the comedic aspects and some of the fights are the funniest parts of the movie.
This is the perfect role for Bob Odenkirk. While the character is much calmer and far more willing to make friends, it is similar to his role in Nobody where his deadpan ways and everyman attitude as a character make the other characters underestimate him. His performance is brilliant and emotional as he tries to survive and deal with his past as he has shootouts and explosions rock the town. His easy manner hides an underlying steely attitude and Bob Odenkirk performs that dichotomy extremely well. Henry Winkler is fast talking and hilarious as Mayor Kibner. Lena Headey is mysterious and powerful as Moira, her role surprising. Ryan Allen as Blaine is outstanding and funny as is Billy MacLellan as Mike. Jess McLeod as Alex gives an emotional performance. Reena Jolly as Lori and Brendan Fletcher as Keith give solid performances as the bank robbers. Reena Jolly has some of the funniest lines in the movie, including a great line about physics. Peter Shinkoda is fantastic as Joe, showing his action chops in the movie.
While I could predict parts of the movie, just from the clues that are written into the story, the film was so much crazy fun that I was totally involved in the action and events of the movie. I enjoyed the mystery and suspense aspects as well. The movie was so funny, I was laughing throughout the film. So if you are looking for a funny action movie with tons of explosions, messy fights and Bob Odenkirk at his best, this film is for you. Like I said at the start, it is Nobody meets Fargo. The characters are quirky, the events unbelievable and this is some of the most fun I’ve had during a movie this year. I loved the cast and the action was phenomenal.
Rating: 4.5 guns out of 5.
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