Ulysses Richardson (Bob Odenkirk) has taken the job as interim Sheriff in the small town of Normal, Minnesota – filling the void left by the town Sheriff who died of mysterious circumstances. The people in the town all seem very friendly, and things seem mostly quiet and easygoing, just occasional squabbles and moose sightings, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary… still, there’s something just a bit off, as Ulysses notices an abundance of guns both in the police lockup and even in local restaurants. When two out-of-towners decide to rob the bank, Ulysses escorts the entire department to the scene, all armed to the teeth and really nervous. He decides to confront the robbers calmly, but soon realizes the town and that bank is keeping a dark secret, and now he is in the way of this at the risk of his own life. This leads to a series of gunfights, fist fights, knife fights and more, as clearly things are not normal in Normal.
We’ve seen these types of films before, an outsider in a small town where things aren’t what they seem, but NORMAL isn’t pretending to be something special or unique, it knows it’s action flick fare and leans into the courageous and comedic aspects so well that even the most mundane scenes are entertaining to watch. Bob Odenkirk is the magic here, delivering a character who is tough when needed, but never overly serious or wholesome to a fault. It’s not unlike his recent roles of Saul Goodman or the dad in the NOBODY movies (which share connections with this movie through co-writer Derek Kolstad). The supporting cast includes Henry Winkler as a sleazy town Mayor, and Lena Headey as a local barmaid who befriends the new Sheriff, but this is a place where no one is who they seem to be. I won’t spoil the reveals or reasoning why the town goes bad, but they’re pretty simple and fit well within the sometimes silly action movie genre. The action sequences are intense and at times really brutal, this is a film where no one is safe, and anyone can die horribly at the drop of a hat, usually in hilarious ways. It’s also a bit gory at times, but almost always played for laughs. If this was a 1980s flick, I’m sure we would have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis in the lead role, but these days guys like Odenkirk are more fun to watch, probably because they’re a tad easier to relate to as an “everyman” archetype thrown into a tense situation.
NORMAL is just a fun movie, nothing dramatically new or different in terms of action cinema, but a real blast to watch and enjoy. Director Ben Wheatley brings a sort of British-like sensibility to the proceedings, reminiscent of movies like HOT FUZZ, though comparisons to the NOBODY franchise should also be expected. This movie reminded me of the mindless action movies I used to embrace in my younger years watching cable TV on the weekends. It’s at times dark and brooding, but the humor makes it a terrific ride. I don’t know that I’d recommend it to most moviegoers, but if you like tough guy action movies, it’s definitely worth a look.
