Movie · 2026 · Action, Crime, Thriller · 1h 31m · R · English
Curator score: 2.3/10 (61.4K ratings)
Small town. Big secret.
Overview
An unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past responds to a bank robbery in a small, sleepy town and unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive.
Ratings
Curator score: 2.3/10
IMDb: 6.3/10
Letterboxd: 2.97/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Metacritic: 62
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Ben Wheatley
Production
Aperture Media Partners, QWGmire, OPE Partners, Le Foole, Tradecraft, Normal Films
Cast
Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Billy MacLellan, Ryan Allen, Reena Jolly, Brendan Fletcher, Peter Shinkoda, Jess McLeod, Alex MacMillan, Dan De Jaeger, John C. MacDonald, David Lawrence Brown, Derek Barnes, Megan MacArton, Carson Nattrass, Chad Bruce, Harry Nelken, Bradley Sawatzky, Lauren Cochrane
Curator Review
Verdict
A brisk, violent small-town crime thriller with a strong Bob Odenkirk lead and a playful streak, but it sounds more like a crowd-pleasing genre mashup than a fully polished standout. The action, dark comedy, and sudden swings are the main draw; the thin character work and a twist that some viewers found easy to spot keep it from being an unqualified yes.
Best for
fans of lean 90-minute action thrillers
viewers who like dark comedy mixed with bloodshed
Bob Odenkirk action-era completists
people who enjoy small-town mystery turning into chaos
Skip if
you want tightly developed characters
you dislike abrupt genre pivots
you prefer grounded, realistic violence
you've already had your fill of revenge-adjacent action movies
Overview
Normal plays like a grim little snow globe that gets shaken until the whole town turns into shrapnel. Ben Wheatley brings a mischievous, slightly feral energy to the material, and Bob Odenkirk’s deadpan, weary presence helps sell the movie’s odd blend of melancholy and mayhem.
Worth noting
The appeal here is less in surprise than in momentum: a sleepy setting, a criminal undercurrent, and action that keeps escalating with a nasty sense of humor. Several responses point to the kills, the brisk runtime, and the willingness to go big when the movie decides to blow the doors off.
Bottom line
Still, it sounds a bit undercooked around the edges. The character work is sketchy, the transition from mystery to action can feel abrupt, and the twist may be telegraphed too early for some viewers. As a compact genre ride, though, it seems to deliver enough bite to satisfy if you’re in the right mood.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Kit Lazer (3★) · 873 likes
It’s silly as hell but lots of boom and Bob Odenkirk.
Matt! (3.5★) · 542 likes
This thing is just having so much fun doing as much as it possibly can to get a gasp and a giggle out of the audience. Every kill is great and shockingly unafraid to erase anyone at any given time. Low key kinda wish its prologue hadn’t inadvertently ruined the entire twist, but oh well. The back half is just pure glee. Wish my career was like Bob Odenkirk’s.
vivdagoat 🍎🍂🐞 (3★) · 464 likes
at least he got to see the Moose :,)
nolan (4★) · 434 likes
just a movie that makes you be like “yup that’s a movie” and i mean that as an extreme compliment
2007 · Crime, Thriller, Western · 2h 2m · R · Curator 9.6/10 (3.1M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus, Philo
For the bleak small-town crime atmosphere, dry tension, and the sense that ordinary places can become arenas for sudden, merciless violence.