Normal

It's impossible here not to draw parallels with the Nobody films, which were the first to try and establish Bob Odenkirk as a new action hero, and perhaps that's not so surprising, given that Derek Kolstad co-wrote the screenplays for both. And I, who absolutely loves Odenkirk, am more than happy to see him dashing about with a shotgun, being chased by Japanese gangsters and crazy small-town patriots.

The plot is as simple as it sounds: it revolves around an acting small-town sheriff who uncovers dark mysteries following a local bank robbery.

Odenkirk's sheriff doesn't have time to eat many doughnuts.

Once again: Kolstad has written the screenplay, this time together alongside the director. A quick recap: I re-watched Nobody just over a year ago and found it was better the second time round. It's really, really entertaining, violent, funny action where, on top of that, the fantastic Christopher Lloyd ("Doc" from Back to the Future) gets to kick some arse. The sequel was mildly amusing but not much else, bordering on a flop in truth.

What made me take notice of Normal wasn't just Odenkirk's involvement, it's that I've always had a soft spot for director Ben Wheatley. His career has been uneven, to say the least, but I always look forward to seeing what he's working on. I saw his debut, Kill List, during a horror marathon in 2011 and it still holds up incredibly well. If you haven't seen his tragic, funny, and dark Sightseers, I highly recommend it too. But... there are his more dubious titles, such as Free Fire, which was stylish but bland, and In The Earth, which was a strange and bland coronavirus horror film, and I must admit that I felt both elated and anxious when I saw that he was to direct Meg 2: The Trench. I love shark films and thought the first one was a silly, entertaining feel-good film, and while Meg 2 has its entertaining moments, at its heart, it's actually quite pointless and lacks any of Wheatley's signature style.

But enough of that, back to Normal. It's set in a small town that shares the same name. The acting sheriff, played by Odenkirk, is thrown into a clusterfuck of events when a botched robbery shatters the peaceful existence and the small town's collective secret risks being exposed. It's a simple but entertaining plot and the actors do a fine job. It's great to see Lena Headey, Brendan Fletcher, Henry Winkler, and others in the cast, so there are little gems here.

Creative action by Ben Wheatley.

It's entertaining and, at times, very violent. There are small, unexpected and amusing twists in the action sequences that are very much Wheatley, and in those moments he proves why I always keep an eye out for his film releases. There's a genuine love for filmmaking that shines through here, but it's not exactly gripping or particularly nerve-wracking. It's perhaps a bit too simple and I'd have liked to see a slightly more developed script (I know, I know, it's a violent action film, but let a bloke dream). As usual, there are things that grate and drag the rating down, but there's still enough to keep my interest piqued, and the entertainment meter spikes time and again. Plus, Odenkirk is always worth watching.

What's more, Normal, in all its simplicity, is a stylish film. It offers a few really creative, fun action scenes, and while it's hardly a Die Hard contender, or even a Nobody contender, ultimately we're talking about ninety minutes of entertaining escapism, and in times like these, you really don't need to ask for much more.