I never expected Bob Odenkirk and Liam Neeson to have anything in common. Then again, few could’ve predicted either having a late-career shift toward the action genre. While Neeson redefined himself as an action hero almost two decades ago, he recycled the same formula one too many times. Normal reteams Odenkirk with screenwriter Derek Kolstad of the Nobody movies. The parallels are evident, and although Normal doesn’t break new ground for the talent involved, it’s just enough fun to get the job done. Eventually, Odenkirk may return to the well one too many times as Neeson did. Odenkirk’s unlikely action star schtick hasn’t quite run its course, however.
Odenkirk plays Ulysses, the sheriff of a Minnesota town called Normal. Technically, Ulysses is the interim sheriff, filling in until the next election following the death of his predecessor. The town includes Ryan Allen as Deputy Blaine Anderson, Henry Winkler as Mayor Kibner, and Lena Headey as Moira, a bartender with a sympathetic ear. Jess McLeod also leaves an impression as the town outcast, whom Ulysses shows empathy towards. Normal is such a small town that it only has one jailhouse, one Chinese restaurant, and one bank, which Reena Jolly’s Lori and Brendan Fletcher’s Keith decide to rob. As Ulysses steps in to defuse the situation, he finds that Normal isn’t as normal as it seems.
Normal surprisingly takes its time before any shootouts commence. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, allowing time to immerse us in this freezing, Fargo-esque town. Come to think of it, between Fargo Season 1 and this, Odenkirk has played the head of a Minnesota police department twice now. While the actors are charming enough to hold our attention, you do get restless after almost forty minutes mostly devoid of action. That said, once the bullets start flying, Normal never slows down.
Despite receiving some backup, Ulysses practically becomes a one-man army. That’s not to say he’s John Rambo or John McClane. Although Ulysses gets out of several tight spots with quick thinking, his survival is largely dependent on sheer dumb luck. On more than one occasion, Ulysses is saved by a Rube Goldberg-esque contrivance right out of a Final Destination movie. Director Ben Wheatley finds a balance between gritty and silly, being tongue-in-cheek while still creating a sense of peril for our protagonist.
As entertaining as the second half is, Normal can also come off as rushed. Several characters are disposed of rather quickly, while others get away perhaps a bit too easily. Normal clocks in at only 90 minutes, which is refreshing in an era where so many two-hour-plus action movies hold us hostage. Weirdly enough, though, the first half feels about fifteen minutes too long while the second half could’ve used fifteen minutes more. The pacing prevents Normal from excelling, but between its cast, several inventive set pieces, and a handful of unexpectedly hilarious deaths, it delivers a satisfying dose of carnage. This isn’t a wholly unique action picture, but it’s not a normal one either.