Normal 2026 Movie Review
At first glance, there’s nothing outstanding about Normal – it’s another variation on the theme of a small-time sheriff who gets caught in the crossfire between a trigger-happy bunch of cowboys in a sleepy provincial backwater. Fortunately, the initial premise is elevated a notch or two by the on-screen presence of Bob Odenkirk, plus a set-up which sits somewhere between inspired nonsense and entertaining self-parody. There are also some amusing cameo roles from Henry “The Fonz” Winkler and Lena Headey, best-known as the villainous Cersei from Game of Thrones.
Odenkirk, who’s also a co-writer and producer of this project, has favoured this type of role lately: It’s not much of a leap from Nobody to Normal. The new sheriff makes a low-key arrival on the scene with a modest desire to leave the town the same as he found it. Going by the grandiose names of Ulysses, he’s taking over from the previous incumbent, who died in mysterious circumstances. At first, the new sheriff finds his time taken up with petty crime and minor disputes. When he spots a blood trail leading through the snow, it turns out to be nothing more sinister than a moose on the loose with a tin of red paint. The moose is described as a symbol of endurance and survival, and Ulysses is about to identify strongly with this creature in an endurance test yet to come. He quickly develops a habit of asking searching questions whose answers will only lead to trouble.
“Where does all the money come from?” he asks, surprised at the town’s lavish budget. The film’s opening sequence provides a few clues, in the form of an unfortunate gangster who loses his little finger after failing to meet his boss’s exacting standards. It turns out that the otherwise unremarkable town of Normal has been taken over by the Yakuza, who use it as a convenient bolt-hole for hiding their ill-gotten gains. The entire town is in on it, and its corner stores are equipped accordingly, with hidden stores of guns, ammo and dynamite. All the townsfolk are packing, and it’s not because they’re about to go on holiday.
Things take a turn for the worse when two would-be robbers decide to stage a hold-up at the bank. The manager seems resigned to the idea of them taking the petty cash, but when they ask to see inside the safe, alarm bells start ringing, alerting both the townsfolk and the Yakuza.
Pretty soon, Ulyssess and the two failed robbers are holed up in the bank, preparing for a massive shoot-out. The Yakuza boss is about to arrive in town, and there’ll be hell to pay if he finds anything out of place. Chaos ensues, and we’re counting on one man to restore order, clean up this mess, and get everything back to normal. It’s time to Ulysses the day.
