Bob Odenkirk Returns To The Dadsploitation Well In The Normal Trailer.

Bob Odenkirk is the new sheriff in a small town with a lot of secrets in the latest action thriller from the writer of John Wick.

Bob Odenkirk seems to be enjoying his mid-career pivot to the action genre, and I am too; we need an elder statesman in the genre, and it’s been a while since we could take Liam Neeson‘s contributions seriously. So, while Normal seems like a boilerplate “town with a secret” thriller, I need this kind of meat ‘n’ potatoes action fare in my cinematic diet.

Normal Trailer

What’s the plot?

It kind of sounds like a straight take on Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz to me. As the official synopsis tells us:

The latest collaboration between Bob Odenkirk, John Wick creator Derek Kolstad and Nobody producer Marc Provissiero, director Ben Wheatley’s (Free Fire, High-Rise) kinetic neo-Western stars Odenkirk as an unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past who, after moving to a small, sleepy town, responds to a bank robbery and unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive.

For Sheriff Ulysses (Odenkirk), his provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern American town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both his marital woes and recent moral injuries in the line of duty. But when a botched bank robbery interrupts the municipality’s tranquil pace, a dark secret is inadvertently exposed, and Ulysses soon discovers that the town is anything but its namesake.

Who’s in it?

• Bob Odenkirk as Sheriff Ulysses.
• Henry Winkler as Mayor Kibner.
• Lena Headey as Moira.
• Reena Jolly as Lori.
• Ryan Allen as Blaine Anderson.
• Billy MacLellan as Deputy Mike Nelson.
• Brendan Fletcher as Keith.
• Peter Shinkoda as Joe.
• Jess McLeod as Alex.

When’s it out?

Normal is in Australian cinemas from April 17.

What’s the vibe?

I’m keen for it. It’s worth noting that the presence of Ben Wheatley in the director’s chair is a good sign, and he seems to channeling some of the energy he brought to the OTT shoot ’em Free Fire back in 2016. And let’s face it, Odenkirk’s world-weary aura is just made for this kind of stuff.