REVIEW

NOBODY (NC16)

4 stars

92 minutes, now showing

Bob Odenkirk, 58, is a weedy actor known for comedy. He is best known for his sleazy-lawyer character of Saul Goodman, also known as Jimmy McGill, in the award-winning thriller series Breaking Bad (2009 to 2014) and Better Call Saul (2015 to present).

In Nobody, he transitions into an action star.

Luckily, he is likable and relatable as Hutch, a meek accountant who reveals a deadlier side after a chance encounter with the Russian mafia.

The plot comes courtesy of Derek Kolstad, who wrote the John Wick (2014 to 2019) movies, so ideas from the action franchise are everywhere in Nobody.

One difference - there is no fantasy element. Hutch's world is middle-class and suburban.

Director Ilya Naishuller, who helmed the viral video-turned-action movie Hardcore Henry (2015), puts a focus on hard, bloody action, mostly done with unarmed combat and knives.

Naishuller and Odenkirk are on to something with the title character, the anonymous dad with deadly hands.

EARTH DAY SPECIALS

To mark Earth Day, which took place yesterday, Apple TV+ has released the documentary The Year Earth Changed, made by BBC Studios' Natural History Unit and narrated by veteran broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough.

With the pandemic forcing humans to stay indoors, animals took over. Cheetah on the African plains, penguins in South Africa and deer in Nara, Japan, reclaimed spaces suddenly unpolluted by traffic and noise.

On Disney+, there is the four-part series Secrets Of The Whales from National Geographic, which was released yesterday.

Narrated by actress Sigourney Weaver, the series reveals what scientists have recently learnt about the creatures' complex social structures and communication skills.

30TH EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL

The pandemic sent last year's edition into hiatus, but the festival is back next month with 23 films aimed at sending a positive message in a difficult time.

There will be a free public screening of the festival opener, Parque Mayer (M18, 2018, 134 minutes, screening on May 12 at 8pm).

The Portuguese comedy is set in 1930s Lisbon, when the city's theatre district of the film's title was not only a hub of creativity and romance, but also of satirical works frowned upon by the government.

WHERE: The Projector, Level 5 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road MRT: Nicoll Highway WHEN: May 6 to 23 ADMISSION: $13.50 (weekdays) and $15 (weekends) via euff.com.sg/tickets INFO: euff.com.sg