Normal

Normal is a flawed action film, but it uses its basic concept effectively. Its throwaway characters are used to a kick ass and bullet-heavy advantage while the action is swift, brutal, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. This is a bite-sized action film that delivers unabbreviated destruction. https://bit.ly/BobNormal

I thought there something of the "Twin Peaks" about this as a temporary sheriff arrives in the town of Normal for a short stint following the untimely death of his predecessor. "Ulysses" (Bob Odenkirk) is about as laid back as a man can get, and so expects to do little in the sleepy town aside from settle squabbles between shopkeepers and listen to his deputy's squeaky leather jacket. Then the alarm in the bank goes off. Surely it's not being robbed? Anyway, his entire force race to the scene only to discover that - well that would be telling. Suffice to say, this new lawman finds himself in…

Enjoyable and refreshing. There's a lot of police movie tropes that people revert to when writing their scripts. There's a certain amount of side characters, plots and twists you can introduce. This movie does something interesting with all of that and while the execution isn't flawless, it's still a very entertaining movie and its casting is phenomenal. Parts of the movie are unbecomingly dark, which takes away from the action on screen as you simply cannot observe it. Other than that, I think it's a very technically proficient movie, and it is definitely funny enough to keep you engaged.…

“Normal” feels like a self‑conscious ‘woke’ spin on the modern action thriller, and for me that’s where it completely loses the plot. It plays as a politically one‑sided, ideologically heavy‑handed shoot‑’em‑up that’s more interested in attitude and messaging than in building believable characters or a coherent story. Asian yakuza are mostly reduced to stereotyped cannon fodder, while other characters are framed as more complex and sympathetic, which gives the violence a racially tone‑deaf, hypocritical edge instead of anything resembling clever satire. Even the better‑staged action beats…