Decoding the Unique Appeal of 'Normal' - An Anti-Action Masterpiece

By   &  Published Apr 21, 2026, 10:04 AM EDT Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

John Wick creator Derek Kolstad's newest movie is an "anti-action" film according to its director.

Ben Wheatley has explained how the action film is truly an "anti-action" movie, breaking down what makes it different from other movies in the genre. With a screenplay written by Kolstad, Normal tells the story of interim Sherriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk), who is working in the fictional town of Normal, Minnesota. However, after a bank robbery with surprising connections to the Yakuza, he becomes embroiled in a high-octane series of events. have been extremely positive, with many critics highlighting the stellar action elements of the movie.

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Exclusive: Writer Derek Kolstad explains how his and Bob Odenkirk's next R-rated action movie Normal will be different from their work on Nobody.

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Now, in an interview with ScreenRant's Liam Crowley, Wheatley has unpacked how Normal is an "anti-action" movie based on the way the action in the film transpires. The director unpacked how, in a typical action film, the characters are the ones enacting violence, making them the catalyst for deaths in the movie. But this isn't the case with Normal, which uses accidental deaths in what he describes as a "Final Destination-style," helping to make it stand out from other films in the genre.

Check out what Wheatley had to say below:

Liam Crowley: You called a lot of elements of this film anti-action. Can you explain to me what anti-action is and give some examples?

Ben Wheatley: I think for me, when I read the script originally, and as it turned out as we were shooting it, it's something that Derek had hardwired into it, which was there's a violence to the characters that is not necessarily... In a normal action movie, it's always the main character is forcing everything through. But in Normal, underneath the hood, characters are getting killed by accidents and by Final Destination-style stuff. I thought that was really interesting. So it was more like a hostile environment rather than just a gruff-looking dude just dispatching people.

Liam Crowley: It's a good bit of organized chaos, so to speak.

Ben Wheatley: Yeah. Yeah. And it's fun. And it keeps you guessing because you go, "Oh, I like that character. Oh God. Oh."

As Wheatley states, much of Normal's approach to the action genre helps make it stand out, elevating it beyond the initial premise that it sets up. While there are plenty of action scenes and setup that results in something familiar to the John Wick movies or Nobody, the film instead takes time to establish the town of Normal as anything but. Thus, the action sequences are reflective of just how atypical the town actually is.

The story of Normal was originally developed by Kolstad and Odenkirk before the former wrote the script. Alongside being , the film also stars Henry Winkler, Lena Heady, Reena Jolly, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellen, Brandan Fletcher, Peter Shinkoda, and Jess McLeod. The strong cast is reflective of the film's approach, which sees plenty of death and mayhem, but without the characters always being the ones to cause it.

Bob Odenkirk's Ulysses looking intense and aiming a grenade launcher while standing in front of two people in Normal

Normal is currently playing in theaters, having released on April 17, 2026. As of writing, the movie has made $3 million at the box office against a budget reportedly less than $20 million. It's also earned plenty of praise from both critics and audiences alike. As of writing, the movie holds a 75% critic score and audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, a rare feat of positive equilibrium.

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Wheatley's statement underscores the different approach to , and how it makes Normal stand out from other action movies. Having an approach that feels more akin to a horror movie in the wild ways death can transpire helps make the movie hard to predict, and is likely a deciding factor in just how well-received it's been by critics and audiences.

Since Normal has only just opened in theaters, the movie has a chance to continue shining under the spotlight of its "anti-action" approach. Given the talent both on and offscreen, it makes sense for the movie to have made an impression that's decidedly its own, thus keeping it from being repetitive when compared to other films in the genre.

7.5/10 7/10 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed R Release Date April 17, 2026 Runtime 90 minutes Director Ben Wheatley Writers Derek Kolstad, Producers , Derek Kolstad 8 Images Close

Cast

• Ulysses
• Henry Winkler Mayor

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