Dallas Film Now.

Bob Odenkirk, Henry Winkler, and Lena Headey star in director Ben Wheatley’s action comedy. 

In my time, I’ve worked a number of temp jobs. Some were good, some were bad, but no one ever tried to shoot me. 

Newly arrived in rural, wintry Normal, Minnesota, Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) is a veteran lawman who knows that his appointment as the town’s sheriff is a temporary gig. The previous sheriff died unexpectedly, just two months before an election; Ulysses knows that he is a stop-gap measure, hired to keep the peace, not make waves, and handle the mundane law-enforcement duties required until a new sheriff is elected. 

That’s perfectly alright with Ulysses. The slow pace and routine policing are second nature to someone with his experience; he’s not looking for anything more exciting than helping out his new neighbors and keeping a low profile. Besides, he has his own personal trauma to nurse, and a broken relationship that he hopes to mend. 

Thus, it’s rather shocking to everyone when an alarm sounds at the only bank in town. With a monstrous storm approaching, it looks like spectacular bad timing for anything like a bank robbery. Nonetheless, Sheriff Ulysses has no qualms about dealing with the situation, first by calming his fellow officers down, and then seeking to negotiate a peaceful resolution. 

That’s when his temp job goes spectacularly wrong. 

Because the film begins with a Yakuza meeting in Japan, which concludes with two gang members sentenced to go to Normal in order to make up for their failures, all signs point to something going wrong in town. Thus, a foreboding cloud hangs over the first portion of the narrative, as new Sheriff Ulysses meets the good folk of the small town, and takes note of a few things that don’t appear to fit, like an expensive renovation of City Hall, a mysterious locked closet that is closely guarded by a shopkeeper, and an out-of-proportion armory in the police station. 

Still, the people are Minnesota-nice, and he really doesn’t want to make even a ripple of a wave in town. He just wants to do his job, not fret about the little things, and get out of town and onward to his next temp gig, wherever that might be. Along the way, he’s glad to spend time with whoever extends an open hand, including the town’s bartender, Moira (Lena Headey), and is ready to extend a helping hand to anyone in need, including troubled nonbinary teen Alex (Jess McLeod). 

Sheriff Ulysses’ attitude and actions impress the ingratiating Mayor Kibner (Henry Winkler), who offers him the opportunity to extend his temp job into a full-time position, despite the overeager candidacy of Deputy Blaine Anderson (Ryan Allen). If anything, though, the offer only reinforces Sheriff Ulysses’ gut judgment to move on. 

A little later, he responds to the bank robbery. Approaching with his hands out, he is shocked to find himself under fire from all directions. Now the only thing to figure out is how to get out of town alive. 

Director Ben Wheatley made his impressive feature debut with Down Terrace in 2009, following that up with the dread-filled crime-horror picture Kill List in 2011. While he has continued to make low-budget, distinctively unsettling pictures like A Field in England (2013), In the Earth (2021), and Bulk (2025), he has also helmed quite a bit of television, as well as wider-targeted films with bigger stars, such as the very good High-Rise (2015) and Free Fire (2016), as well as the less satisfying Rebecca (2020) and Meg 2: The Trench (2023). 

Normal aims to be broader-appealing, with a comic sensibility driven by Bob Odenkirk, who is credited for co-writing the story with Derek Kolstad, known for John Wick, who receives sole credit for the screenplay. Kolstad and Odenkirk previously worked together on Nobody and Nobody 2, and Normal shares with those films an askew premise for an action picture that is led by a weather-beaten character who is reluctant to fight but will turn deadly if required to do so. 

And deadly Sheriff Ulysses becomes, to often ridiculous lengths, surrounded by churning chaos as he seeks to survive. The action may satisfy viewers who want to see many, many ordinary bodies shot up, exploded, and crushed by various objects and vehicles, with eyeballs popping and heads flying apart with punishing brutality. If that’s not your cup of tea, however, precious little else is offered up. 

As expected from the first scene, the Yakuza make an appearance in Normal, though, like nearly all the action, their entrance and participation are perfunctory and difficult to see in the smoke and snow that has enveloped the town. Even as bodies are smashed and shot up, it’s nearly impossible to distinguish one townsperson from another, which sucks the juice and potential out of most scenes, especially those that are intended to have a lasting impact, either comic or emotional.  

Recently, I rewatched the Coen Brothers’ classic Fargo, which I couldn’t help but think about as I watched this picture, since both are set during a snowy winter in Minnesota. In comparison, Normal has even more mayhem, but to much less effect. 

The film opens wide throughout the DFW Multiplex on Friday, April 17, only in movie theaters.  For locations and showtimes, visit the official site.