You know the feeling. Hutch Mansell is just sitting there, looking like a tired dad who forgot to take the trash out again, and then suddenly he’s turning a transit bus into a surgical ward of pain. It’s a specific itch. We love seeing a guy who looks like he’s worried about his mortgage suddenly reveal he can dismantle a room full of mobsters with a toothpick. Honestly, Nobody worked because Bob Odenkirk wasn't a slab of granite like Arnold; he was a guy who looked like he actually felt the punches.
If you’re looking for movies similar to nobody, you aren't just looking for explosions. You’re looking for that specific "messed with the wrong guy" energy. It’s the suburban-dad-to-super-soldier pipeline. Here’s a rundown of what to watch when you need more of that glorious, bone-crunching catharsis.
The Direct Descendants of the "Nobody" Style
If you loved the choreography in Nobody, you basically have to thank the John Wick team. They’ve perfected a style often called "Gun-fu," but Nobody added a layer of gritty, "I'm getting too old for this" realism that some other flicks miss.
John Wick (2014)
It’s the obvious choice, but you’d be surprised how many people haven't actually gone back to the first one. While the sequels become huge, global operatic epics, the first John Wick is surprisingly intimate. It’s just a man, a car, and a dog. Like Hutch, John is a ghost—a "Baba Yaga"—who just wanted to be left alone. If you liked the "auditor" reveal in Nobody, the "with a pencil" story in Wick is its spiritual twin.
Sisu (2022)
Think Nobody, but set in 1944 Finland. This movie is lean. It’s mean. There is almost zero dialogue. A gold prospector runs into a squad of Nazis who decide to rob him. Big mistake. Huge. He isn't just a soldier; he’s a legend who literally refuses to die. If the bus fight in Nobody made you wince, Sisu will have you shouting at the screen. It’s pure, unadulterated "wrong guy" cinema.
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The "Quiet Man, Secret Past" Trope
There is something deeply satisfying about a protagonist who spends the first twenty minutes of a movie being disrespected before they finally snap.
The Equalizer (2014)
Denzel Washington plays Robert McCall, a guy who works at a hardware store and times his tea brewing with a stopwatch. He’s the ultimate "Nobody." When he decides to help a young girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), he doesn't just fight; he calculates. The violence here is methodical. It’s less "frantic bus brawl" and more "predator in the shadows."
A History of Violence (2005)
This is the thinking person's Nobody. Viggo Mortensen is a small-town diner owner who stops a robbery with terrifying efficiency. The movie asks a question Nobody only grazes: can you ever really bury who you used to be? It’s darker, slower, and the violence feels heavy. It’s not "fun" in the way Bob Odenkirk cracking jokes is fun, but it is masterfully executed.
Old Henry (2021)
Basically a Western version of the same story. Tim Blake Nelson is a humble farmer. Some outlaws show up. They think he's an easy mark. They are very, very wrong. It’s a slow-burn masterpiece that proves this trope works in any time period.
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The International Heavy Hitters
Hollywood doesn't have a monopoly on the retired-assassin-with-a-grudge genre. In fact, some of the best movies similar to nobody come from South Korea and Indonesia.
The Man from Nowhere (2010)
If you haven't seen this South Korean gem, stop what you're doing. It’s often cited as a major influence on the modern wave of "dad-core" action movies. A quiet pawnshop owner with a mysterious past befriends a little girl. When she’s kidnapped by a drug ring, he goes on a rampage that makes the Russian mob in Nobody look like Boy Scouts. The final knife fight is legendary.
The Night Comes for Us (2018)
Available on Netflix, this Indonesian film is for the people who thought Nobody was a bit too "tame." It stars Joe Taslim and Iko Uwais (from The Raid). It’s about a Triad enforcer who spares a girl and has to fight his way through an entire city of assassins. Warning: it is exceptionally bloody. It’s stylized, fast-paced, and features some of the most inventive use of warehouse tools you’ll ever see.
Why We Love "The Auditor" and His Peers
Why do we keep coming back to these? Honestly, it’s about the "Hidden King" archetype. Most of us feel like nobodies in our daily lives—stuck in traffic, dealing with annoying bosses, filing reports. Watching Hutch Mansell flip the switch is a form of wish fulfillment. We want to believe that under our mundane exterior, there’s a lethal professional waiting for the right moment to come out.
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Don't Overlook These "Aged Badass" Gems:
- Wrath of Man (2021): Jason Statham at his most stoic. He joins a cash truck company, but he’s not there for the paycheck. He’s there to find the people who killed his son.
- The Beekeeper (2024): Jason Statham again, but this time he's a literal beekeeper who turns out to be a high-level government "fixer." It’s ridiculous, over-the-top, and a total blast.
- Taken (2008): The movie that arguably birthed this entire modern sub-genre. Liam Neeson’s "particular set of skills" speech is the blueprint for everything we see in Nobody.
What Most People Get Wrong About "Nobody"
Some critics dismiss Nobody as just a "John Wick clone." That's a mistake. John Wick is about a man who is a professional in a world of professionals. Nobody is about a man who is a professional trying desperately to be a civilian.
Hutch wants to be hit. He needs the release. In the bus scene, he actually looks happy when he realizes he has an excuse to fight. He’s not a reluctant hero; he’s an addict who’s been sober for fifteen years and finally found a reason to relapse. That psychological layer—the "addiction" to violence—is what separates it from a standard revenge flick.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you've exhausted the list above, here is how to find your next fix:
- Check out the "Vigilante Justice" sub-category on streaming platforms, but look specifically for films released after 2014, as the stunt coordination changed drastically after John Wick.
- Follow the writers: Derek Kolstad wrote both John Wick and Nobody. If his name is on the script, you know the world-building and the action beats will be top-tier.
- Explore the "Hardboiled" tag on sites like Letterboxd. This will lead you toward the grittier, more noir-inspired versions of these stories rather than the flashy superhero-style action.
Next time you’re scrolling through Netflix feeling like a "nobody," pick one of these. It might just be the catharsis you need.
Insight for the Road: The "retired assassin" genre works best when the hero is vulnerable. When you watch Nobody, pay attention to how much Bob Odenkirk gets hurt. He isn't invincible. That’s the secret sauce. We don't want to see a god; we want to see a guy who bleeds, but keeps getting back up. That’s what makes him a hero.