Change of pace works well for comic actor Odenkirk

Above : Bob Odenkirk stars in the action/revenge movie “Nobody.” (Photo/Universal Pictures)

If you know the name Bob Odenkirk at all, it’s likely because of his comedy chops. Once a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” he’s partnered with David Cross , had his own stand-up and acting career – that latter occupation ranging from comedy to the kind of brutal drama that the AMC series “Breaking Bad” perfected.

Now he’s a bona-fide movie star, going from the “Breaking Bad” spin-off “Better Call Saul” and bits parts in such big-screen projects as “Nebraska” and “Little Women” to the feature film “Nobody.” In that film, which opens today at AMC River Park Square and is directed by Ilya Naishuller, Odenkirk plays Hutch Mansell, a regular office-worker kind of guy with a wife and two kids.

Only, yeah, Hutch is anything but ordinary. Turns out he’s … well, far more complicated than he’s led anyone close to him to believe. And pretty soon, because of his own actions, his past comes back to get him – and he gets his own as well.

With an 81 percent Fresh among critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes (and perhaps more important, 95 percent among average movie fans), “Nobody” is receiving mostly favorable reviews. Cast against type, Odenkirk himself is the center of most of the positive comments.

Here are some examples:

Richard Roeper , Chicago Sun-Times: “Bob Odenkirk comes on strong as an angry dad at war with the mob…the ‘Better Call Saul’ star shows his street-fighter skills in violent but entertaining revenge film.”

Gary M. Kramer , Salon.com: “Odenkirk is perfectly cast as the title character, who is really less meek and more Jason Statham than folks might expect. The whole film may be an extended riff on this one joke, but it is a pretty funny joke.”

Peter Travers , ABC News: “Bob Odenkirk aces his first role as an action star in this wild, twisty ride. He’s such a canny, captivating actor that even when the plot gets silly you’re willing to follow him anywhere.”

Not bad for a guy who, to most people up until now, was a … yeah, nobody.

(By the way, “Nobody” will be available to stream at home on April 16th.)