“Wherever you go, there you are.”
– The Barber (Colin Salmon) in Nobody 2
Prior to 2021, actor Bob Odenkirk possessed a strong reputation as a comedian due to projects like sketch comedy Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995 — 1998), as a writer with projects like Run Ronnie Run (2002), and as a filmmaker with The Brothers Solomon (2007). It would be his turn as lawyer Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad (2009 — 2013) which would catapult the actor into a different form of recognition, leading to opportunities like the action comedy Nobody (2021) in which Odenkirk would, once more, transform how audiences saw him from meager everyman to former government operative and badass. The film, directed by Hardcore Henry’s Ilya Naishuller, written by John Wick universe creator Derek Kolstad, and with stunts by 87North Productions, would be a surprise hit that helped break the doldrums of 2021 when sparse theater and home viewing audiences needed it most. It makes sense that the film would garner a sequel and we’d be gifted one with The Night Comes for Us director Timo Tjahjanto taking the helm, bringing his signature brutality to the now-franchise’s mix of action comedy. Bringing with it more than 20 minutes of extras, Nobody 2 is out on home video and is ready to throw down.
L-R: Gage Munroe as Brady Mansell, Paisley Cadorath as Sammy Mansell, Bob Odenkirk as Hutch Mansell, Christopher Lloyd as David Mansell, and Connie Nielsen as Becca Mansell in NOBODY 2, directed by Timo Tjahjanto. Photo Credit: Allen Fraser/Universal Pictures. © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
In the wake of Hutch Mansell’s (Odenkirk) confrontation with Russian mobster Aleksey Serebryakov (Yulian Kuznetsov), the once former and secret elite government operative is back in the field with his family’s full awareness. However, what felt like it should be a release from the monotony of the Monday through Friday grind has only resulted in (a) his family knowing the truth and (b) more blood on his clothes as he takes on more assignments which keep him, once more, at a distance from his family. Determined to make a change, he takes a break and plans a family vacation to a spot he once enjoyed as a child: Plummerville. But wherever Hutch goes, his instincts follow, leading to unexpected trouble that no amount of good intention can de-escalate.
The following home release review is based on a Blu-ray retail copy provided by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.
Seeing as the film released to theaters in August and digital in September, a few items will be addressed in the following home review that may verge on spoilers. If you’re concerned about reading before seeing the film and only want to get a sense of the bonus features, jump ahead to the behind-the-scenes video titled “Let’s Go Again” to skip over the exploration of the film.
Sharon Stone as Lendina in NOBODY 2, directed by Timo Tjahjanto. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures. © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
As discussed in the home release for Nobody, the treatment of Hutch is akin to someone dealing with addiction. He’d abstained from violence for so long, seeing it as something to put behind him, that the whole of the first outing can be viewed as Hutch perceiving a return to violence as something to taste, to try, without it becoming who he is entirely. Of course, with each choice he makes, rather than satisfying himself and moving on, he goes deeper and needs more as a result, hence the escalation leading to his burning of the Obshak, which, we learn is why Hutch is now back working for his old boss as he pays off the debt the U.S. government paid on his behalf. This creates the setup for why Hutch is back to his old job and the reason for taking assignments as frequently as he does, allowing for the script, written by Kolstad and Aaron Rabin (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), to revisit the repetitive montage of life at the Mansell residence within a new context in which Hutch returns to an existence by which his secret wasn’t the cause of his growing rift with the family, it’s always been him and his choices. Where the dark underpinning of the first film speaks to the concept of addiction and the things we deny ourselves, the second film goes further by outright stating that the violence was never the problem for Hutch (though it is, more shortly) so much as his prioritization. He has become the parent his father was, taking his kids on missions, raising them in violence, empowering them to become the masters of death that they are; except, by denying who he is and what he brings to the table, he creates the very distance between himself and his family that he wishes didn’t exist.
This presents itself here through the seeming hypocrisy between Hutch and Brady (Gage Munroe), his son. In the first film, Brady saw his father as weak, refusing to step up to the plate when confrontation was necessary. This, as we learn, was merely Hutch making a choice based on the deadly training he’s received. Upon learning the truth, Brady now finds Hutch’s frustration with Brady’s choices to get violent whether or not a situation calls for it as hypocritical, which isn’t Hutch’s intent. Hutch wants Brady to be better than he is, something which most parents want for their children — to have them surpass who they themselves are. The obstacle here, however, is that Hutch keeps removing himself from the equation, thereby leaving Brady to make choices based on inference whereas, the films suggest, David Mansell (Christopher Lloyd) was far more hands-on in teaching his kids how to approach and handle situations. By continuing to keep who Hutch is away from his kids, by denying who he is to himself, Brady specifically has the chance of hurting himself and others simply because he lacks the guidance to be honed, sharpened, and pointed in an appropriate direction. In this way, Nobody 2 maintains the exploration of violence as an important part of who Hutch is, but removes the addiction perspective and shifts it toward a part of someone that gets passed down thereby requiring Hutch to take responsibility for it as something to nurture rather than deny. As The Barber tells him, “Wherever you go, there you are.”
L-R: Actor Bob Odenkirk and director Timo Tjahjanto on the set of NOBODY 2. Photo Credit: Allen Fraser/Universal Pictures. © 2025 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
While all of this is interesting and creates opportunities for pathos that serve as the foundation for all the insanity that occurs, Nobody 2 unfortunately runs the risk of boring its audience through a repetition that’s one part series calling-card and one part sequelitis expansion. A simple example of this is the cold open which recreates the same vibe as the first with Hutch, visibly wounded, handcuffed and given company by an animal, being asked who he is before jumping in. We can just tell where this is going to go and, while funny, it means that there’s no surprise to be had here. Likewise, the Duck Boat sequence is basically the bus sequence from the first outing, just dialed up slightly, as is the final confrontation Hutch must survive. The stunt work by 87North Productions is fantastic, as always, finding brilliant ways to make mundane, everyday items and situations body-mutilating; however, the action set pieces don’t present as unique so much as covers of what we’ve seen before. There’s an argument to be made that this is intentional as the stunts serve to highlight elements of the character’s narrative arcs, in particular the ways in which Hutch still hasn’t learned to de-escalate properly; however, that still doesn’t mean that the set pieces themselves couldn’t be more distinct from what audiences enjoyed from the first outing.
The bonus features are fairly straight-forward this time around as compared to Nobody. There’s a collection of eight deleted scenes running a total just shy of nine minutes that more or less provide the same material as other moments or things that can be easily inferred, making their removal understandable. For those interested in getting a deeper look at the making of the film, though, there are only two featurettes (versus the prior release’s six). The first, “Nobody 2: The Fight Continues,” is 11 minutes of the cast and crew discussing the themes of the film, Tjahjanto’s taking over the reins of the series, the working relationship of the cast, and a few other small details that convey the fun behind-the-scenes experience. The second, “Nobody Does Stunts Like Us,” is a 12-minute deep dive into the stunt work which centers Stunt Designer & Coordinator and 2nd Unit Director Greg Rementer (Nobody; Bullet Train), while offering insights from Odenkirk as actor/producer and Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick; Nobody; Deathstalker) as actor/fight coordinator. If you dug the stunt work in the first film, this featurette offers a look into the thought process of the escalations that occur here, including the Duck Boat sequence as a mirror to the bus sequence from the first story. On the one hand, there’s no denying Odenkirk’s commitment or the work that Tjahjanto and 87North put into breaking bones for our entertainment, but, on the other, these featurettes exemplify why so much of the stunt work feels like more of the same when the narrative is attempting to go deeper into the ideas established by the first which highlight just how broken Hutch may be.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with bread-and-butter entertainment. Sometimes we just want to watch someone who really deserves it get hurt in terrible ways. Between 87North’s stunt team capabilities, Tjahjanto’s ability to make us believe in the brutality of this world, and the pathos Odenkirk brings to Hutch, the Nobody movies offer a breezy time wherein the expected happens and we get to laugh the whole way at the mayhem before us. However, what was clever and cute in the first seems repetitive and expected here, thereby undercutting what made the first feel unique and special. If not for what lies underneath all of this, the journey that Hutch goes through as he realizes that having the secret past was never the problem, it’s the way he engages with live itself, Nobody 2 would be a total step down from the original outing. Instead, we find ourselves still wanting more, especially if a new story could shake off some of the structurally conventions that make the series now feel predictable, as we cheer for Hutch to finally figure it all out and become the family man he wants to be.
Nobody 2 Special Features:
- Nobody 2: The Fight Continues (11:30)
- Nobody Does Stunts Like Us (12:28)
- Eight (8) Deleted Scenes (8:42)
Available on digital September 2nd, 2025.
Available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD October 7th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Universal Pictures Nobody 2 webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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