I've been patiently waiting for this film to come out streaming without a fee, and HBO Max has stepped up to the plate. When I saw it in their menu this morning I didn't have to waste time choosing what to watch. I enjoyed Bob Odenkirk in 'Breaking Bad' and 'Better Call Saul', but knew his role here had to be entirely different based on the previews and trailers. Quite simply, the movie is a blast, and even though I usually qualify these kinds of flicks by saying no one could possibly pull off the things Odenkirk's character does here, it's just too much of an adrenaline rush to see how he puts away bad guy after bad guy.
Following an opening sequence in which Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) appears to have wimped out during a home invasion, the story line gradually reveals his dark past as an 'auditor' for the government's three letter agencies. Retiring when he had enough, his life eventually mellowed out as a family man in a stale marriage and a daily routine that would sap the energy of most. But then, when he found out his daughter's kitty cat bracelet went missing during the home assault, the old itch returned, and Hutch goes on a mission that lands him smack dab against a Russian mob enforcer (Aleksey Serebryakov) with a penchant for making the night club scene at the gangster owned Obshak.
The story is predictable enough. I knew for example, that hidden voice Harry (RZA) would eventually make an appearance, and there was something about Christopher Lloyd's role as Hutch's Dad David that made it feel like there was more to his character than a mere nursing home resident. During the gun battle at the warehouse, the film makers threw in a great sight gag when Hutch erased the number of days without a lost time accident (204). Technically, he didn't have to do that, because what was going on was no accident, but it did provide a bit of humor amid the violence. I also thought the choice of songs in the soundtrack were a perfect laid back complement to the mayhem on screen. 'I've Gotta Be Me' epitomized what Hutch Mansell was all about, while 'What a Wonderful World' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' were also suitably placed. My son, who watched this film a couple times on separate occasions didn't care for the older tunes, and could only relate to 'Heartbreaker' during the car chase. It's a generational thing I guess, but then again, what does a kid know?
Following an opening sequence in which Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) appears to have wimped out during a home invasion, the story line gradually reveals his dark past as an 'auditor' for the government's three letter agencies. Retiring when he had enough, his life eventually mellowed out as a family man in a stale marriage and a daily routine that would sap the energy of most. But then, when he found out his daughter's kitty cat bracelet went missing during the home assault, the old itch returned, and Hutch goes on a mission that lands him smack dab against a Russian mob enforcer (Aleksey Serebryakov) with a penchant for making the night club scene at the gangster owned Obshak.
The story is predictable enough. I knew for example, that hidden voice Harry (RZA) would eventually make an appearance, and there was something about Christopher Lloyd's role as Hutch's Dad David that made it feel like there was more to his character than a mere nursing home resident. During the gun battle at the warehouse, the film makers threw in a great sight gag when Hutch erased the number of days without a lost time accident (204). Technically, he didn't have to do that, because what was going on was no accident, but it did provide a bit of humor amid the violence. I also thought the choice of songs in the soundtrack were a perfect laid back complement to the mayhem on screen. 'I've Gotta Be Me' epitomized what Hutch Mansell was all about, while 'What a Wonderful World' and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' were also suitably placed. My son, who watched this film a couple times on separate occasions didn't care for the older tunes, and could only relate to 'Heartbreaker' during the car chase. It's a generational thing I guess, but then again, what does a kid know?