The last time Bob Odenkirk collaborated with Derek Kolstad was for the sequel to their blood-soaked revenge thriller, ‘Nobody.’ It proved that Odenkirk deserves your attention as an action star just as much as a character actor and a comedic talent. For fans who got introduced to his work through ‘Mr. Show,’ it must be interesting to see his evolution towards being one of the most refined actors of his generation, who can get their blood pumping without even saying a single word. ‘Normal’ sees him contributing to a similar adrenaline-packed story that Kolstad brings to life through his script. Yet, it punches well above its weight. If you walk into the theater expecting a gory actioner in the vein of ‘John Wick,’ you would get that experience along with a clever black comedy, partially reminiscent of the Coen brothers’ ‘Fargo.’
The comparison wouldn’t seem far-fetched to anyone who has come across the film’s promotional material. Set in a quaint, snowy town similar to Fargo, the film also features a string of idiosyncratic characters that embody the so-called small-town charm. Their world seems too mundane and peaceful to be a home for a global conspiracy. That’s the emotional hook of Kolstad’s script. Much like ‘Nobody’ features a hitman who prefers to be a nobody, ‘Normal’ is self-referential. Odenkirk’s character, Ulysses, arrives in town (called Normal) as a temporary sheriff shortly after the tragic death of the past sheriff. Soon, he drives through the streets, looking out at what looks like a world frozen in time.
The problems affecting the world outside don’t seem to exist in their close-knit community. Everyone goes along with everyone else without a hiccup, which feels too good to be true. It’s almost like the town that Alex Garland presents in ‘Civil War,’ where the locals behave as if the world around them is fine despite the signs of blood and violence right outside the door. Unlike that, there’s no palpable fear or a chilling disquiet surrounding the townspeople in Normal. Still, everyone’s behavior feels oddly picture-perfect. It’s as if everyone’s playing a part as they have been told to. That ‘normalcy’ often keeps Ulysses from doubting the intention of any local he interacts with, even if he can’t shake the feeling about foul play behind the past sheriff’s accidental death.
It’s a strong premise, especially in the current socio-political climate, where people struggle to trust the traditional news sources and where younger generations speak ironically more often than they do sincerely. The film’s title itself poses a question laced with irony: What do we consider to be normal? Is it believing that everything is fine to maintain an illusion of comfort instead of confronting, let alone accepting, the bitter truth? Kolstad’s screenplay addresses these narrative threads through Ulysses’s arc, as soon as he begins to realize the dark secrets that the locals hide from him.
The film rises above the recent crop of action thrillers through the sheer ambition to reflect the brutality of the real world. Wheatley ensures that the sincerity of its contemplative nature doesn’t get muddied by the pulpy action and irreverent, dark humor. He blends these distinctive tones without letting one overshadow the other. His direction remains the film’s highlight, maintaining a seamless tonal balance between those genres, peppered with some hilarious and clever needle drops.
Music is also central to the film’s central themes about cross-cultural pollination, subtly revealing how wealth plays a part in their global exchange. The Japanese characters are introduced through a Japanese rendition of a popular rock ‘n’ roll song and a rap track. Both genres originated from the contributions of African-American artists, whose foundational work gradually became a part of the global capitalistic machine.
On the other hand, Normal is introduced through a folksy track, instantly evoking an idyll from a bygone era—a common theme throughout the evolution of the American country and folk genre. Despite their stylistic differences, they become part of global communication, thanks to an underlying profit-minded opportunism. Whether intentional or not, it applies to how two parts of the world with imperialist pasts perceive and interact with each other in the film.
Apart from Wheatley’s direction, Odenkirk’s performance becomes one of the film’s strongest suits. The ‘Better Call Saul’ star knows how to portray a man struggling to get over his troubled past. So, he effortlessly conveys his character’s despair, learning to play by the rules of the new world without sacrificing his morals. Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, and Jess McLeod prove to be strong casting choices as the supporting roles alongside Odenkirk’s, even if their characters appear mostly in service to Ulysses’s journey toward his fate. Winkler understands how to play into the film’s black comedic notes, and Headey knows how to convey her jaded character’s unfiltered rage. McLeod is just as reliable in communicating their character’s overwhelming grief while inching closer to a sense of catharsis.
Overall, ‘Normal’ works well as an entertaining black comedy that uses the town as a microcosm of privileged societies across the world. However, the characters remain limited to what they represent in that context. It leaves you wanting more from the script, which doesn’t capitalize on its potent themes enough. If dwelling on them for too long seemed like it would result in a slog, the film could have leveraged those themes for some dramatic moments, given its highly reliable cast. Instead, the narrative scope stays limited to the representation of real-world crises.
Moreover, the script features Japanese criminals merely as menacing counterparts to the self-preserving Americans, leaving them as thinly sketched characters in an otherwise evocative script. Their motives feel vague because they are barely developed beyond the tropes they represent. So, while it’s a good time at the theaters with its well-designed action scenes, the film is thematically underwhelming.
Normal movie links: IMDB, Letterboxd, wikipedia
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