Review: The town may be called ‘Normal,’ but Bob Odenkirk’s unlikely action hero isn’t

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

Is Bob Odenkirk “Nobody” or is he “Normal”? The continual self-effacement of his characters in his recent action-hero era is something he and screenwriter Derek Kolstad will have to take up with a therapist, but the latest installment in their “Surprise! Bob Odenkirk kills people!” micro-genre is “Normal,” a title that indicates nothing normal at all is about to happen on screen.

What even is “normal” anyway? In the film directed by Ben Wheatley, it’s the name of a quintessentially American small town in Minnesota, where Ulysses Richardson (Odenkirk) is serving a temporary shift as interim sheriff after the death of the previous occupant of the office. He’s somewhat delighted by the Norman Rockwell-esque scene he walks into, detailing his surroundings in extensive voicemails to his estranged wife that serve as a narration.

But Ulysses’ words don’t match what we see on screen (nor the prologue set at a secret meeting of yakuza gangsters). He extols how nice and, yes, normal everything seems while simultaneously clocking the details amiss in his office, like the well-stocked, unlocked armory and the death certificate for the deceased Sheriff Gunderson (Pat Harris, seen only in photographs).

That’s right, Gunderson, the name made famous by that other Minnesota noir, the Coen brothers’ 1996 hit “Fargo,” for which Frances McDormand won an Oscar playing a very pregnant police chief, Marge Gunderson. But the thing about overtly referencing a film as funny and deft as “Fargo” is that it’s only going to make us think about “Fargo,” so your film better be just as good — or at least come close. Alas, “Normal” does not.

“Fargo” found its humor in the juxtaposition between “Minnesota Nice” and the dark, criminal underbelly it explored. “Normal” tries to do the same but is unsuccessful. No one even attempts the accent and a few kitschy phrases aren’t going to cut it, not even from supporting stars like Henry Winkler and Lena Headey.

“Normal” is born not just of the Coens but Tarantino too. Wheatley’s earlier work, especially his 2016 picture “Free Fire,” is steeped in the snarky hyperviolence that the maker of “Reservoir Dogs” pioneered. “Normal” sits exactly in that zone of excessive gunplay punctuated by needle drops and ironic expressions.

There’s another DNA strand provided by screenwriter Kolstad, who also invented “John Wick.” He seems to be writing the same screenplay over and over — nice guy reluctantly proves he’s got a set of very particular skills — but here incorporates those ’90s references, borrowing the setting of “Fargo” and the Japanese inspiration of Tarantino’s “Kill Bill,” bringing the yakuza to Minnesota. That’s the town-wide secret that the outsider sheriff hasn’t uncovered yet, even though he can smell that something’s not quite right.

It’s also a little bit like “The Wicker Man” (1973), in which a closed community summons whom they believe to be a hapless policeman to serve as a fall guy of sorts. But Ulysses is sharper than they expected and better with a gun than anyone, by far. This is one of those endeavors that has absolutely no danger and no stakes because you never believe that our hero is in danger. (“The Wicker Man” at least had the guts to do that.)

The Rube Goldberg machine of a plot is kicked off when a down-on-their-luck couple rob the local bank, setting off a series of events that will result in a snowy nightlong standoff, with the whole community turning on Ulysses, who teams up with Sheriff Gunderson’s orphaned kid Alex (Jess McLeod). Fire and ice do clash beautifully, but the action here is merely serviceable and dark.

You can set your watch to the clockwork of this (blessedly) 90-minute script: At 40 minutes the violence kicks in, at an hour Ulysses experiences a surprising betrayal. Everything’s explained again and again in speeches, but there isn’t much to take away except that one shouldn’t use loaded weapons as decor in a restaurant.

The irony and meaninglessness of the carnage rankles, especially when Ulysses is presented as such a nice guy who is prone to de-escalation in his day-to-day work. Wouldn’t this character be aghast at the amount of random citizens taken out in these endless firefights? Instead he just reaches for some pie.

The desensitized bloodshed might feel frighteningly apathetic but the alternative, searching for answers in a film about law enforcement gunning down citizens in Minnesota, isn’t preferable at all, dontcha know.

Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.