No one can beat Keanu Reeves stars in a one-man revenge mission to kill those who wronged him, finding all manner of satisfyingly brutal ways to dispatch his opponents. John Wick has maintained a consistent level of quality across all three chapters released thus far, and the franchise has box office momentum with fourth and fifth installments on the horizon.
Occupying the same stylistic realm as Keanu Reeves' pet-friendly assassin is Bob Odenkirk's Hutch in Nobody. Written by Derek Kolstad and produced by David Leitch (two creative minds who were involved in the creation of John Wick), there are some undeniable parallels between Nobody and the ongoing tale of Baba Yaga. Odenkirk and Reeves both play former assassins dragged back into their former line of work against their will, and both are capable of single-handedly dealing out unflinching violence that plays out on-screen in gloriously gritty, stylized fashion. Nobody isn't shying away from its John Wick connection either, with similarities in the marketing that are too big to be coincidental.
Since John Wick kicked down the action movie door first, it's tempting to view Nobody as the copycat cousin - perhaps even an inferior knock-off (not that you'd dare say that to Hutch's face). However, there's one key difference between Nobody and John Wick that might just elevate Bob Oden-merc's character above his action movie rival - family. The central concept of the John Wick franchise is a man with nothing left to lose. In the original 2014 movie, John is without his wife, his dog and his car, and the ensuing rampage is committed with a reckless abandon that can only come from a man at the end of his wick.
Nobody's key contrast is that Hutch has everything to lose. Where Wick is already grieving his wife and living alone at the start of his journey, Hutch is still very much the doting, everyday family man. Despite his best efforts to avoid violence, Hutch is pushed to breaking point after his house is targeted by a crime gang. Unlike John Wick, Hutch is releasing years of pent-up anger and frustration, proving that the "placid walkover" perception people have of him is woefully inaccurate. He wants to earn his wife's respect back, he wants his daughter's toy back, and, most importantly, he wants his idyllic life back.
The presence of Hutch's family is a fascinating addition to the John Wick formula that raises the stakes considerably. With few allies and a body seemingly made of tempered steel, John Wick rarely has to worry about the consequences of his actions. With Nobody, viewers know that the fate of Hutch's family is always on the line. One wrong move for Wick simply means the end of his killing spree, but if Hutch's mission fails, his loved ones could become forfeit, and this provides Nobody with a central focus to the choreographed uber-violence.
There's no argument that John Wick's "nothing to lose" mentality is part of what makes the assassin so compelling to watch, giving him an unpredictable edge that few actions heroes can match. But there's a real sense of risk to Nobody's Hutch Mansell. If he fails, his family could die, but without fighting, his family can barely look him in the eye. This deeper layer of motivation and threat could help to lift Nobody even above the lofty action movie level set by John Wick.
