It was a surprise to see Ben Wheatley directing a sequel to The Meg in 2023, though it was a lot of fun. His follow up is this action movie written by Derek Kolstad and Bob Odenkirk. Odenkirk also stars as Sheriff Ulysses who arrives at the small, sleepy, town of Normal, Minnesota, as a temporary replacement for the previous law enforcement officer who has passed away. He is soon having to deal with a bank robbery that leads to him discovering a criminal underground that reaches throughout the entire town.
Kolstad and Odenkirk previously collaborated on Nobody and its sequel, and Normal feels like a companion piece. It is a lean, violent and massively enjoyable. With the scene set, the robbery sparks a breathless second half of action that only takes a beat towards the end. Wheatley did something similar with Free Fire in 2016, but I think Normal is the superior movie. It also has a funnier screenplay that punctuates the violence with laugh out loud moments.
Odenkirk has carved himself out a niche as an unlikely action star, and I am completely on board with it. He has great support here from Reena Jolly as one of the bank robbers and Jess McLeod as the offspring of the previous sheriff, both of whom join forces with Ulysses. Henry Winkler is also good as a smarmy and corrupt mayor.
The ending sets up the possibility of a sequel, and I hope that we will get to see that.
Rating: 8 out of 10