If you watch one movie this week about a Ulysses, watch The Odyssey. But if you watch two…
A veteran fixture of television comedy, actor Bob Odenkirk parlayed a critically acclaimed role in Breaking Bad and its spin-offs into a Liam Neeson-like reinvention as an enjoyable “Dad-action” star with the immensely enjoyable Nobody and Nobody 2, written with Derek Kolstad (best known as the creator of John Wick).
I’m a huge fan of Odenkirk’s two Nobody films, in which he stars as a retired government assassin turned family man, who is forced to return to a life of violence to protect his family.
Normal carries over key creatives of the Nobody films, with Odenkirk again collaborating with writer-producer Kolstad and producer Marc Provissiero. The film is helmed by celebrated genre director Ben Wheatley, who brings action experience from movies like Free Fire and Meg 2.
Odenkirk stars as Ulysses, a depressed veteran lawman who accepts an interim position in small-town Minnesota, where the death of the prior sheriff has created a temporary void in leadership.
The townfolk seem quaint and friendly enough, but certain things – little hints and awkward encounters, an alarming amount of firepower, and the mysterious and bizarre nature of the former sheriff’s death – suggest a deeper narrative. When a bank robbery gone wrong exposes a major secret, Ulysses finds himself in a massive battle for his life with only a handful of circumstantial allies. As with the Nobody stories, there’s a trending escalation – there are the baddies you initially meet, and then the worse baddies pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Although it’s not a western in terms of setting, it’s certainly one in spirit: an amiable sheriff and his makeshift deputy in a fight against overwhelming odds. It also draws obvious narrative comparisons to Hot Fuzz, which follows a similar plot and trajectory about a London cop who gets more then he bargained for when assigned to a rural village hiding a massive conspiracy. The action is violent and fun, often delivered with a sense of irony or humor.
Odenkirk is terrific as always, and fans who enjoy the Nobody movies will doubtlessly love this one as well. The cast also includes Henry Winkler as the Normal’s mayor, and Lena Headey as the proprietor of the local watering hole, with Billy MacLellan, Jess McLeod, Reena Jolly, and Brendan Fletcher in supporting roles.
I’ve actually heard plenty of opinions preferring Normal as an even better film than the two Nobody movies, but I wouldn’t go quite that far – they had a bit more deliberately comedic and over-the-top vibe that really worked for me, whereas Normal is slightly more grounded (while still being pretty wild), and commenting on the very real struggle of small towns to survive.
The Package
I am reviewing the 4K edition which is a 2-disc combo pack, including both 4K and standard Blu-ray discs.
Special Features and Extras:
A formal “Making Of” featurette is appended by several interview segments with key cast and crew.
Although the package only advertises the special features as being on the Blu-ray disc, I can confirm that the full set of extras is on the 4K disc as well.
- Making of Normal (13:41) – Members of the cast and crew discuss the film’s creation, drawing from westerns and the Coen Brothers, and the fun of collaborating in this group.
- Ben Wheatley: Storytelling (2:18)
- Bob Odenkirk: Normal and “Ulysses” (1:46)
- Derek Kolstad: The Characters (3:49)
- Henry Winkler: “Mayor Kibner” (2:00)
- Mark Provissiero: The Team (2:20)
- Also from Magnolia Home Entertainment – Promotional trailers (8:27) for Magnolia titles Heel, The Carpenter’s Son, Thelma, and Red Right Hand autoplay on the disc’s startup before loading the main menu. The pre-roll also an ad for Charity Network (1:05).
A/V Out
Get it at Amazon: Normal – [4K UHD] | [Blu-ray]
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