Ben Wheatley and Bob Odenkirk Shine in the Action Film Normal

Summary

This video features a detailed discussion about director Ben Wheatley’s work with a particular focus on his recent film Normal, starring Bob Odenkirk. The host reflects on Wheatley’s evolution since earlier works like A Field in England (2014), praising his distinctive visual style, use of cinematography, and ability to blend intense action with layers of humor and absurdity. Wheatley’s collaborations, including with screenwriter Derek Kolstad and cinematographer Armando Salas, contribute to creating a vivid and tonally rich film experience.

Bob Odenkirk, traditionally known for comedy and dramatic television roles such as Better Call Saul, takes on a fresh persona as an over-the-hill action hero in Normal, evoking comparisons to Liam Neeson’s take on similar roles. The film is described as mixing highly stylized violence, wacky characters, and an engaging story set in “Normaltown, USA,” featuring unexpected elements like a Yakuza war. Despite the film’s title potentially undermining expectations, the performance and direction make for a standout action movie with franchise potential.

The conversation also covers Bob Odenkirk’s career trajectory, from his roots in sketch comedy with Mr. Show alongside David Cross, through his mainstream breakthrough in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, to his emerging identity as an action star. The host expresses a strong appreciation for the cultural impact of Mr. Show and highlights Better Call Saul as a superior character study compared to Breaking Bad. Overall, Normal is positioned as a fun and intense movie that both action fans and Bob Odenkirk enthusiasts should watch, available on HBO Max.

Highlights

• 🎬 Ben Wheatley’s unique visual style and tone elevate Normal beyond typical action films.
• 🦈 Wheatley’s recent work includes Meg 2: The Trench, showcasing his versatility.
• 🔫 Bob Odenkirk transitions successfully into an over-the-hill action star, similar to Liam Neeson’s archetype.
• 🎭 The film balances silliness, violence, and emotional depth with a distinctive cast of quirky characters.
• 🎥 Cinematographer Armando Salas uses color and tone shifts to guide the audience through story layers.
• 📺 Bob Odenkirk’s legacy spans sketch comedy (Mr. Show), dramatic roles (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul), and now action films.
• 🍿 Normal has strong franchise potential but suffers slightly from a misleading title.

Key Insights

• 🎯 Director’s Signature Style Creates Immersive Experiences: Ben Wheatley’s work, from A Field in England to Normal, consistently blends visual artistry with a surreal and visceral narrative tone. This shows how a strong directorial voice can shape action movies into memorable, atmospheric experiences rather than mere spectacles. The collaboration with cinematographer Armando Salas deepens this impact by using visual language to communicate shifts in time and tone, which enhances storytelling clarity and audience engagement.
• ⚔️ Bob Odenkirk’s Reinvention as an Action Star Signals Career Versatility: Odenkirk’s evolution from sketch comedian to multi-dimensional actor demonstrates significant range. His role in Normal as a “grizzled” sheriff filled with action sequences contrasts with his previous dramatic roles, highlighting the fluid nature of contemporary acting careers. This move taps into a growing trend of aging actors who redefine action hero archetypes, offering fresh emotional depth and unconventional charisma.
• 🔄 Collaborative Screenwriting Enhances Film Dynamics: The partnership between Ben Wheatley and Derek Kolstad—who also wrote the screenplay—reflects the importance of cohesive teamwork in filmmaking. With Derek contributing to the story and screenplay, the blend of narrative structure and directorial vision helps maintain a balance between intense action sequences and character-driven moments, a vital ingredient for genre films aiming to stand out.
• 🧩 Use of Tonal and Visual Cues for Storytelling: The film’s color palette and cinematographic choices serve as more than aesthetics—they function as narrative tools that subtly indicate shifts in time and mood. This strategy exemplifies how filmmakers can convey complex story layers non-verbally, enriching the audience’s understanding and emotional connection without relying solely on dialogue or exposition.
• 🎭 Nostalgia and Legacy in Entertainment Careers: Reflecting on Mr. Show reveals not only Bob Odenkirk’s comedic roots but also the broader impact of sketch comedy on entertainment culture. The persistence of its humor and memes decades later demonstrates how formative creative works influence long-term audience relationships and industry trajectories. Odenkirk’s ongoing celebration of this past work alongside his current projects emphasizes the layered nature of artistic identity.
• 📉 Title Choice Can Affect Audience Reception: The critique of the film’s title Normal as potentially misleading addresses a key marketing and audience psychology consideration. Titles contribute significantly to framing viewer expectations, and a title that underpromises or confuses can detract from initial interest despite the film’s actual quality. This insight reveals the delicate balance between creative intention and commercial appeal.
• 🔥 Emergence of “Ridiculous Action” As a Popular Genre: The host’s comparison of Normal to Bullet Train and Nobody reflects the current appetite for high-energy, over-the-top action films that combine serious stakes with absurd humor and stylized violence. These films succeed by inviting viewers to “fall into the ridiculousness” while maintaining narrative coherence, showcasing a successful formula in contemporary action cinema.

Overall, this discussion situates Normal at the intersection of auteur-driven filmmaking, actor reinvention, and evolving genre trends, underscoring how thoughtful collaboration and tonal experimentation can refresh the action film landscape.

00:00:00
Why are you on the set? Camera speed down production take one. Action. Ben Wheatley aka Tyler Sheridan. I’m I’m a little bit away from the microphone right now and that’s because I I have to get some of this iced coffee. I’ve been up all night again. We’re We’re marching towards I think we’re marching towards 1300 episodes. How amazing is that? Ben Wheatley The last time we spoke about this guy was 2014. I did the A Field in England for one of one of our 31 Days of Dread. Field in

00:00:41
England black and white visceral like moments and images that that stick with you and it’s just one of those like downhill type movies that comes off a little bit like a fever dream. I loved it. Now, here’s the thing. Ben amazingly talented. I had no idea that he’s been like somewhat regular. For example, Meg 2 The Trench with that amazing beginning and really so amazing imagery in Meg 2 by the way. We haven’t spoken about Meg at all on this podcast. I don’t know why. I think we should.

00:01:19
That was 2023. 2020 Rebecca a solid movie solid adaptation. 2025 he’s got two movies. He’s got one called Bulk that I wish I could speak on. And then we have Normal 2025 with Bob Odenkirk. Ben is an absolute solid director. You watch this movie something happens when you watch things of this quality. You kind of fall into and and this is this is a little bit of Bullet Train. We talked about Bullet Train earlier this year. You fall into the ridiculousness of it. And the reason why you fall into the

00:02:07
ridiculousness of it is we’re kind of moving we’re moving on all cylinders. Where Ben has a good relationship with Derek Kolstad. This is our screenwriter. The two of them worked on the story. Derek broke away, wrote the screenplay. Armando Salas. This is our cinematographer. We get colors and tones and the the the film shifts and and and we know when we’re in different areas different times within the movie. This is what a cinematographer is supposed to do. Tonally tell us the story.

00:02:51
Music. Harry Gregson-Williams Rydner McNair. So, all all of these elements they coagulate, they dry, they solidify they become concrete, dry concrete. And within that it’s silliness. It’s a guy, Bob Odenkirk. He He doesn’t look like an action star. He’s almost like the new Liam Neeson, the over-the-hill action star. Take it like it’s it’s a great title to have. He becomes a sheriff. The town is called Normal. Uh I we wonder where our producer had a little bit. I think the title of this

00:03:35
movie takes away cuz I I kept thinking about this movie and thinking of Nobody uh that also has a sequel. Like very successful Bob Odenkirk action franchise if if you want to call it a franchise. Normal too close to nobody. The producer had I just recently saw a post where they submitted all of these ideas for American Graffiti to George Lucas and some of them were good. It was like 50 50 different titles for the movie. Sometimes you think right we’re going to call it normal. It takes place in Normaltown

00:04:18
like Normal Alaska, Normal Michigan or whatever. And you’re going to get everything but normal, right? You’re going to get Bob Odenkirk as an action star. Right? So there’s there’s things sometimes that that the title can can take you out of the movie before you sit down to watch the movie. That’s my only criticism of this entire flick. We have Henry Winkler. The Fonz. We have the Yakuza. We have gun fights. We have Bob Odenkirk jamming a corkscrew in someone’s eye and then hitting him

00:05:04
with a maybe like it was like a sledgehammer to kill him. Like high high violence, high action. In my view Ben Wheatley here like let him direct one of the the the Bad Boy movies, one of the Fast and Furious movies. But the movie builds in like a ridiculous ladder to where all of a sudden at the end it’s all-out war with the Yakuza. What’s the what does the Yakuza have to do with Normaltown, USA? Well, you you have to watch the movie. And then within the core of that a little bit of this movie trope that we

00:05:43
lean in on is is wacky wacky characters, characters that that stutter or don’t remember things or uh they’re uh they have a level of forgetfulness and and our sheriff or interim sheriff, who is Bob Odenkirk, he’s stern and he he’s he’s picking up on some of the stuff that everyone’s overlooking. Right guy, right place, right time. The ending of this movie is perfect. It ends in a way that makes me want another adventure from this guy. And all of this is incredible to Bob

00:06:19
Odenkirk, which I want to speak on real quick because here here’s the thing. I became aware of Bob Odenkirk during probably the boom the last boom of skit comedy in American entertainment, American pop culture. But you had Saturday Night Live. But Saturday Night Live, too, had uh I think it was called um like Fridays or something. The the the one that had Kramer, right? So Saturday Night Live itself had steep competition during the the the ’80s. But then the ’90s, everyone dogpiled. Uh

00:07:00
MTV had The State. Fox had In Living Color, Mad TV. HBO had Mr. Show with Bob and Dave. Bob Odenkirk is collaborating with David Cross. And at one time David Cross, uh we you you you guys know him from Men in Black and many many other movies. I think Men in Black, Small Soldiers. He was everywhere and Bob Odenkirk was kind of looked like he was floundering. It wasn’t until Breaking Bad that Bob Odenkirk became a part of the American culture, part of the lexicon. But when I was growing up, my friend

00:07:49
friend of mine, John, who’s been on this show, we were obsessed with Mr. Show with Bob and David. To this day, we still trade videos, memes, and jokes derived from that HBO show. I think Mr. Show with Bob and David, and you can go into like Jack Black. We know Jack Black from Mr. Show with Bob and David. The level of talent within that show, and how many of these people are still like in entertainment, in the game, in front of the camera, behind the camera, retired by now, so on and so forth. It’s

00:08:28
very deep. But we love this show. This show infected us. And it got into our gray matter, and to this day, we joke about Ronnie Dobbs. And if you all know about Ronnie Dobbs, uh I you have to you have to go to HBO I hopefully I Oh my I should have checked. Hopefully it’s all on HBO Max. If it’s on HBO Max, maybe you can purchase it. Maybe you can watch it for free on the Internet Archive or or YouTube or or another another video platform. But you know, pay for it though, guys. Pay for it first. If you can If it’s nowhere to

00:09:11
be paid for, get it by any means necessary. So, Bob Odenkirk through, I believe outside of Breaking Bad, his work on Better Call Saul is as Better Call Saul is arguably better than Breaking Bad. It’s a way deeper, intricate-webbed character study. Uh you love them, you hate them, you’re frustrated by him, you root for him, you root against him. The way that show in its five seasons plays with your emotions it’s second to none. And now he’s an over-the-hill action star. Nobody wanted I wasn’t a fan of Nobody.

00:09:57
Also other action movies recently with an end that I’m not a fan of Nova Cain. Not a fan of Nova Cain either. But he’s got two movies out. And Normal here is good enough for another movie. Another Yeah, make this a franchise as well. I just don’t think the title is good enough. I don’t think the title is there. I think the title is confusing with Nobody. I will I will I’ll take that to the grave. Maybe one of Maybe one of the producers maybe Bob Odenkirk himself can call me up and and explain it.

00:10:33
But AK powers, this movie available right now on HBO Max is one hell of a It’s It’s a hell of a fun action movie. And well I’ll see one when it comes to entertainment. But I’m also a Bob Odenkirk fan. I will Anything he’s in I will give it a shot. Okay, that’s a wrap. >> [applause]

PETER A DELUCA AKAPD

AKAPAD is a versatile thinker known across Philadelphia, Europe, and even in the vast Multiverse as The Electic One. By day, he excels as an IT Mastermind, assisting individuals, both big and small, with a wide range of simple and complex solutions. In contrast, he is also a talented illustrator, a passionate comic book enthusiast, a creative content creator, and an active live streamer. Additionally, his podcast, “AKAPAD The Film Buff Podcast,” boasts an impressive catalog of over 500 episodes available on nearly every major platform.