That ‘Nobody’ Bus Fight Scene
In Nobody, Odenkirk portrays Hutch Mansell, a seemingly mild-mannered suburban father and husband who has long suppressed a violent past.
He worked for the CIA at one point and was like a hitman, but he’s since been beaten down by life and cannot remember if he has anything left in him from his old life.
After his house is burgled, he goes on a one-man mission to get his gumption back.
And the breakout of his old life coming back in the bus scene not only proves to us that he can do it, but it also intimidates the bad guys and puts the world on notice.
It also sells Bob Odenkirk as an action hero.
The bus scene serves as the explosive reawakening. After a group of menacing thugs harasses a female passenger, Hutch’s attempts to de-escalate the situation fail, leading to a prolonged and bloody confrontation.
He can only become the man he’s hidden for all these years.
The whole movie hinges on this scene and this performance. We need to believe he’s shaking the rust off, but also that he can do it.
What made the sequence so impactful was its raw and unpolished choreography.
Unlike the slick, almost balletic action of many contemporary films, the bus fight is clumsy, desperate, and painful to watch.
Hutch takes as much punishment as he dishes out. He fumbles, gets winded, and sustains injuries. This all contributes to a sense of realism and vulnerability that gets us to care about his character and to want to see him at the height of his power.
It sells the movie as well. We understand this guy is coming out of retirement to do something big. And we fully buy into his journey when we see him shake the rust off, and it gets us excited about what he can do next.
The rest of the movie is awesome, but to get there, we had to have this scene that hints at who this person used to be and who they can become.
Summing It All Up
The film’s success has led to a sequel, and the bus fight remains a testament to the transformative power of a single, perfectly executed fight scene in reshaping an actor’s public persona and getting an audience to buy totally into a concept.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
