Normal (2026) - Spoiler Free Review

Film Details

Director: Ben Wheatley

Run Time: 1hr 30m

Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Lena Headey, Billy MacLellan, Jess McLeod, Henry Winkler, Reena Jolly

Synopsis

When a disillusioned substitute Sheriff takes a posting in a small town called Normal in Minnesota, his laid back attitude is soon put to the test when everything isn’t as it seems.

My Review

Bob Odenkirk finds himself back in the action once again, in this hilarious, fun and outright crazy action thriller that only escalates with each passing moment. Ben Wheatley’s Normal is Eddington meets Hot Fuzz, utilising a grounded first act before really leaning into the absurdity of the script!

Written by Derek Kolstad (creator of John Wick), the script naturally allows the action to flourish and the choreography does not disappoint, with brutal deaths and captivating combat sequences. But what I loved about Normal was just how effective the first act was, it had the charming humour of an intimate comedy, sure, but it also had a real dramatic tone that established the motivation for Sheriff Ulysses perfectly, setting the foundations for a really intriguing character arc.

On an approximate budget of just $10-15m, the cinematography and overall aesthetic of the film was beautiful! Snow is one of my all time favourite aesthetics, even more so in those small American style towns and the entire production team executed that really well. With over 100 snow technicians, they really went above and beyond to create that sense of authenticity and you can certainly feel that as an audience member. I even had the opportunity to listen to director Ben Wheatley talk about the difficult of bringing that to life, in person, which was amazing and interesting in equal measure.

As Bob Odenkirk himself said in the post screening Q&A, he always hopes to bring a bit of substance to the action genre, by exploring deeper themes and creating more multifaceted protagonists and he achieves just that. It’s goofy at times sure, but it’s certainly intentional and all the more fun for it too. As I mentioned earlier in the review, if you are a fan of Hot Fuzz, you will absolutely love Normal, with performances that will have you chuckling the entire way through! The film releases in the UK on the 15th of May, so I’d definitely recommend catching it on the big screen if you can!

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10

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Film Review Club