Part of what’s crazy about the influence of John Wick is that, not only did the movie raise the bar of mainstream action, but more than ten years later, we’re still getting movies that are essentially “What If John Wick, But ________?” Whether or not those movies have any actual connection to Derek Kolstad, writer of the Wick films, doesn’t really matter, as every action movie of the last decade attempts to capture the same vibe. Bob Odenkirk already starred in a derivation of the franchise with Nobody, as well as the much more dull sequel Nobody 2. Odenkirk is one of the greatest we have, so it is easy to scoff at the premise “Bob Odenkirk Plays Guy in Action Movie From John Wick Writer.” Hell, I even scoffed! Luckily, the movie’s secret weapon is director Ben Wheatley, who manages to avoid ad nauseam action sequences for humor to make for a much more rewarding experience.

In Normal, temporary sheriff of Normal, Minnesota Ulysses (Odenkirk) is just killing time as he’s separated from his wife, going from one gig to the next, hoping to keep the peace in each town he visits while not disrupting the status quo. Not much goes on in the small town, though after a series of strange occurrences and a botched bank robbery reveals that the Yakuza have been using this community as their own Fort Knox. Ulysses is forced to disrupt everything that seems “normal” about the town, but before he can deal with the Yakuza, he has to confront the criminal underbelly that’s permeated the entire town.

The trailer and marketing materials have implied Normal is yet another forgettable action movie that’s just watered-down John Wick. The premise isn’t particularly thrilling, even if Odenkirk gets a “Story By” credit along with Kolstad. Though the setup is somewhat mundane, there are enough quirks about the characters to keep us engaged. Billy MacLellan, for example, plays the town Deputy who really wants to look cool, so he trades his standard Deputy jacket for a leather one. The problem? It’s brand new, so it’s regularly squeaking and cracking, even to the point of revealing his location when he’s attempting to be stealthy.

In this sense, the movie feels more like an offshoot of Hot Fuzz than it does of John Wick, yet without the kinetic momentum of the Edgar Wright movie. The movie never takes itself too seriously and isn’t entirely concerned with well-choreographed combat like in Kolstad’s other movies, with the audience earning more delight at the various ways characters are accidentally killed than the more eloquent showdowns seen elsewhere in the action genre. With Wheatley’s recent movies like Meg 2: The Trench, In the Earth, and Rebecca all feeling like misfires for the genre filmmaker, Normal is just too quirky to have come from anyone else, reminding us of the black comedy seen in movies like Free Fire or Sightseers.

Even if Odenkirk is endlessly watchable, playing a character who is meant to be as droll as possible holds the movie back from its potential. Lena Headey and Henry Winkler also star as residents of the small town, though they only get a handful of scenes to elevate the material. The first act feels like a bit of a slog, as it’s just putting the chess pieces into motion, and the absurdity of this introduction feels like we’re seeing a Fargo sequel unfold.

If you’re coming into Normal hoping to get just another iteration of John Wick Lite, you’ll be left a bit disappointed, but if you’re looking for a dark comedy that happens to be punctuated by some ludicrous violence and a less-than-explosive conclusion, then Normal is worth experiencing.

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