Ben Wheatley’s Normal

Ulysses Richardson is no Andy Taylor. The substitute sheriff would be the first to admit he stopped caring a long time ago. Consequently, he surprises himself when he follows the example of Will Kane and Buford Pusser, standing alone against corruption in his latest posting. Unfortunately, his new found integrity might very likely get him killed in Ben Wheatley’s Normal, which opens today in theaters.

Until the special election, Richardson will serve as the sheriff of Normal, Minnesota. He basically just shuffles papers, but weirdly, the Mayor Kibner so likes his “light touch,” he suggests making it permanent. Of course, that makes Richardson suspicious. The circumstances of his predecessor’s death are also disconcerting. That would be the late Sheriff Gunderson, just like in Fargo.

Frankly, people in town are just plain weird. They also raised millions of dollars for a new city hall and have stocked the sheriff’s office with military grade armaments. Even a substandard cop like Richardson smells something fishy, but the interim sheriff is still shocked when his own deputies start firing on him during an ill-prepared bank robbery, to prevent him from getting a good look inside the vault.

John Wick and Nobody franchise creator Derek Kolstad turns Bob Odenkirk lose to do what his anti-heroes do best. If you like those movies, you will enjoy Normal too.  Arguably, it is more conventional than Wheatley’s previous films (Kill List, Sightseers, A Field in England, etc.), but he gleefully cranks up the violent mayhem to deranged levels.

However, Kolstad and Wheatley also invest heavily early on to fully establish Richardson as a character, so he wears increasingly comfortably over the course of the film, like an old sweater. Odenkirk was also perfectly cast, because he deftly balances the temp-sheriff’s amiability with his sarcasm and sadness. Seriously, Richardson also has franchise potential. Maybe the next movie could take place in a town named “Decent.”

Henry Winkler is quite funny playing the corrupt Mayor to the smarmy hilt—sort of as if his Scream character, Principal Himbry sold his soul to the Devil. Alo appearing as Moira the bartender, Lena Headey also has terrific chemistry with Odenkirk in two memorable scenes, but it seems like a lot of her work wound up on the editing room floor.

Normal follows Nobody and Love Hurts as the latest beatdown from a deceptively nebbish bad-cat. Wheatley certainly maintains a much higher energy level than the sluggish latter film. Yet, Odenkirk’s Richardson is more realistically grounded than any of his predecessors, which makes him so rewarding to root for. Highly recommended for action-comedy fans, Normal opens today (4/17) in theaters, including the AMC Empire in New York.