“Normal” is a fun, action-packed dark comedy set in a small town in Minnesota. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but has fine acting performances to bolster its story. Some scenes with nice use of explosives and hand-to-hand combat keep the body count high even as amusing things happen.

The film begins in Tokyo, Japan. Three men are brought into a room. They have been beaten and each man is forced to kneel before a table, which has one knife on it. The over-boss tells them to cut off part of a finger to atone for their failures. Two of the men do so. The third refuses and is beheaded with a sword by the crime lord. The survivors are given a posting to go to the isolated town of Normal, Minnesota.

Next comes a voiceover by Ulysses Richardson (Bob Odenkirk). He is calling and leaving messages to his estranged wife. He has accepted an interim sheriff job in Normal. The previous sheriff died, and Ulysses will serve until the next election.

On his first day, he encounters predictable small-town troubles. Two men are arguing in a hardware store. He has to leave a ticket, which only says “Park Better,” on a car. The recipient is amused.

Ulysses is accompanied in the police car by Deputy Mike Nelson (Billy MacLellan). Mike is goofy and has an aw-shucks persona. He wears a leather jacket that squeaks every time he moves.

At the station, Ulysses reads the death certificate for his predecessor. He also notices how huge the police armory is and how it is left unlocked. He meets Deputy Blaine Anderson (Ryan Allen), who plans to run for Sheriff.

A funeral reception is held at the old sheriff’s house. Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler) says that if Ulysses wants to be the permanent sheriff, then it could be arranged.

In a discussion with Dr. Walter Vilie (David Lawrence Brown), who signed the death certificate for the deceased lawman, Ulysses discovers that the corpse was discovered in his underwear carrying a fishing pole in the snow.

Ulysses also sees the previous Sheriff’s daughter Alex (Jess McLeod) arguing with Blaine down below in the parking area. He sees from photos that she had been in the military.

One day at the motel where Ulysses is staying, he discovers a woman, Lori (Reena Jolly) trying to get something out of a vending machine. He orders something above her selection to force her choice downward.

Later that day an alarm goes off at the station. It says “Bank.” Everyone goes there. Lori and her companion Keith (Brendan Fletcher) are the robbers. They ask for cash but get very little. So they ask to have the vault opened.

Ulysses arrives on the scene and moves forward to deal with the robbers in the bank. Blaine shoots at him and tries to kill him. Perplexed, Ulysses goes into the building for cover. Meanwhile, one of the Japanese security guards stabs Keith. What is in the bank vault? Why is Ulysses now being targeted by his own officers? What is the connection between Japan and Normal?

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The sense of dark comedy begins immediately in Japan when the two surviving (less part of a finger) flunkies are given a card to go to Normal, Minnesota.

Much of this humor comes from incongruous circumstances. What appears to be a small rural town is anything but that. The citizens seem like ordinary people but harbor a major secret. The stakes are high yet the attempt to kill Ulysses is met with ineptitude and bad luck. Things are crazy but Ulysses stands as a strong central character not susceptible to corruption.

Then there are the action sequences. Having a variety of weaponry proves to be useful when you want over-the-top effects. This includes having people explode. In a kitchen scene, cutlery is used effectively and humorously.

I also liked that there was some character development of the small-town folk. They come off as quirky, everyday people who would indeed populate a small village. When they transform, it is not as if you hate them so much as you realize that they are in over their heads.

Even the bank robbers become sympathetic at times. They did a bad thing but come off like the townsfolk, over their heads.

This humanity anchors the movie. It makes what happens in the plot believable even as it seems absurd.

The weather also is its own character. In the production notes, they had to decide what type of snow to use when the blizzard strikes amid the chaos. For that, they designed a studio version of Normal, which did not limit them to actual days of real snow.

Bob Odenkirk, so good in the “Nobody” franchise, continues to be a perfect Everyman. His voiceover narration seems suitably mundane, but also heartfelt at times. The incident which made him leave his other job continues to haunt him. He is practical and uses common sense. You root for him to succeed.

The other performances do not command as much screen time as Odenkirk, but are worth mentioning. Billy MacLellan as Deputy Mike gives what turns out to be a very nuanced performance considering what he knows as he does not let Ulysses out of his sight. Ryan Allen as Deputy Blaine comes off initially as stand-offish and arrogant, but the script allows him to be redeemed as a human being. Jess McLeod presents grief and anger in a subtle way. Henry Winkler is perfect as the Mayor. I also grew fond of Reena Jolly and Brendan Fletcher as the bank robbers.

I loved the screenwriting. The story is clever and inventive. You have action, insane plot twists, and good character development. The net result is a fun ride through a small town. The production notes described this as a Western. Other than the fact that there are showdowns, this was not my perception.

I would not let small children see this picture. It has too many violent acts for that age group. But adults and teens, go and have fun!

Four out of five stars.

For Sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk), his provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both his marital woes and recent moral injuries in the line of duty. But when a botched bank robbery interrupts the municipality’s tranquil pace, a dark secret is inadvertently exposed, and Ulysses soon discovers that the town (and its mayor, played by Henry Winkler) is anything but its namesake. Suddenly everyone is trying to shoot the sheriff, and our put-upon policeman must rely on his affable mettle and some motley crooks if he is to survive the night (and that’s all before the Yakuza show up). A double-barreled shotgun blast of pure mayhem from the creators of JOHN WICK and NOBODY.

Starring Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler and Lena Headey
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Written by Derek Kolstad

Website: https://www.normalthemovie.com/