While they really never quite left the action film genre has had a boost in recent years. That was mainly due to the three JOHN WICK films. These movie were not ashamed of what they were, pedal to the metal action pictures more fueled by the action than the story. That’s not to say there wasn’t a story but the action was front and center. So where do you take things from there? You give those skills to NOBODY.
Bob Odenkirk stars as Hutch Mansell, an average ordinary guy. The introduction of Hutch to the viewer shows this. He wakes, jogs, makes breakfast, goes to work, clocks in, drinks coffee, goes home, eats dinner and sleeps with his wife with them divided by a couple of pillows. This is repeated for us over a few weeks’ time to get the idea in our heads.
Then one night things change. A couple of burglars break into the house. Hutch has a chance to take them down after his son tackles one but he doesn’t do so. This leaves his son thinking him a coward. Nothing is missing but a few dollars and his watch. But when his little girl notices her kitty cat bracelet is missing Hutch changes. He suddenly has the skills to track down the burglars and follows them to their home where he takes back his watch. No bracelet though is on hand.
With his rage unspent he takes a bus home only to have it boarded by a group of young Russian speaking punks after they crash their car. When they threaten a young girl on the bus he finds a way of releasing that pent up aggression. Suddenly this mild mannered accountant takes out 6 young guys at one time. Sure he gets hurt but the damage he imposes on them is far worse. The bad news though is one of them is the brother of a Russian gangster named Yulian (Aleksei Serebryakov).
A message from an old friend named Harry (Rza) informs him of who he was dealing with and suggest he contact “the Barber”. It turns out Hutch was a paid killer for hire who worked for those agencies that usually have 3 letters. The “Barber” gives him the information on the Russian gangster. It turns out he launders all the money for the Russian mob. And odds are he’s coming for vengeance be that Hutch’s family at home or his father (Christopher Lloyd) in a nursing home.
They do indeed show up at his home but Hutch is prepared and hides his family in a safe location. After taking out most of the crew he is tazed and tossed in a trunk. But his skills get him out of there as well. He returns home, sends his family away to a safe location and prepares for a confrontation with Yulian and his men. Only one will walk away from this confrontation.
Like the WICK films what we have here is an explosive action film that takes no prisoners. The pace of the action here is furious and done at such a speed as to make it more plausible than fight sequences of the past. Hutch may look like the average guy on the street but his skill set is far from what you would expect from your standard accountant. The film provides more action than most films and all of it is between character rather than lengthy car chases (though there is a short one here).
One of the things that makes this film work remarkably well is the casting of Odenkirk in the lead role. Know mostly as a comedy writer before his career took off starring as corrupt lawyer Saul Goodman on the series BREAKING BAD, he looks just like an ordinary average guy. No slam on Odenkirk, I mean he’s a good looking guy but is he Keanu Reeves? Sean Connery? No. So he has that going for him here, not looking like the typical tough guy we’ve come to expect in films. And yet he does a fantastic job in that role making both sides of the character seem plausible.
Here’s something that should come as no surprise once you see the film. It was directed and written by Derek Kolstad. I know the name is not familiar to most people. But his screenwriting is. You see Kolstad wrote all three JOHN WICK films. It makes sense once you watch this movie. And yet at the same time there is a difference between Hutch and Wick.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, enough that it must become
a part of my collection. And while watching it and enjoying not just the action
but the tiny bits of comedy thrown into the mix I kept thinking will they make
another? I for one could see it happening and would enjoy it if they did. Who
knows, maybe one day Hutch and Wick will meet up. Until then we can watch their
exploits over and over again on disc.
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