Bob Odenkirk is the heart and soul of new action flick ‘Normal’

Is “Normal” an action film? Yes. Is it a dark comedy? Also yes. Is it a redemption tale, a neo-Western, an homage to crime films of the ’70s? All of that, too.

“Normal” debuts in theaters today after a run of film festival screenings (including a showing at the Phoenix Film Festival last week), and despite all its different influences, it’s essentially an action flick with a vein of kindness and empathy running through it.

Bob Odenkirk stars as Ulysses Richardson, who arrives in Normal, Minnesota, to temporarily fill the role of sheriff after the previous sheriff’s death. Estranged from his wife and haunted by an on-duty situation gone wrong, Ulysses arrives in town hoping for an uneventful run as the temporary sheriff. However, Normal is anything but; the town isn’t what it seems and hides a shocking secret.

Directed by Ben Wheatley, “Normal” sees Odenkirk reunite with writer Derek Kolstad, who wrote his films “Nobody” and “Nobody 2.” This time, Odenkirk shares a writing credit.

In a time when so many movies are horribly predictable, “Normal” kept me guessing in the most delightful ways. To paraphrase “Anna Karenina,” a story about a small town with a secret isn’t an original concept, but every story about a small town with a secret is different in its own way, and “Normal” is an inventive addition to the genre.

In a film with great performances from Billy MacLellan, Jess McLeod and a hilarious Henry Winkler, Odenkirk’s Ulysses is the heart and soul of “Normal.” A man who knows he’s done wrong but wants to do good, Ulysses begins to trust and respect himself again throughout the course of the film. We’re pretty sure that, by the end of the story, Ulysses is going to be OK.

We spoke with Odenkirk about “Normal” last month while the lifelong Cubs fan was in town for spring training. Here’s what he had to say.

Phoenix New Times: How did “Normal” begin?

Bob Odenkirk: Derek Kolstad is a great action film writer, and he wrote “Nobody” and he wrote the “John Wick” films, and we have such a good time together. He’s incredibly collaborative andafter “Nobody” played so well, we said, “What other movies do you have?” He gave me three outlines for different movies.

Most of his movies are action from beginning to end, action like “John Wick.” And this one story he had that became the movie “Normal,” had the suspense chapter first, where this temporary sheriff is in a town, it’s a small town, and something’s not right. But he’s trying not to notice it. He’s actively trying not to notice. Because he feels very uncertain about himself. He’s having a crisis of his own confidence. He’s kind of hiding out. Then Derek’s story, as it goes, becomes action and then stays action.

So I said, “This is the outline I want to do, and I have some ideas for what you see in the town and the way the town is. That chapter, the first chapter of the film, the slow-burn suspense chapter, is the part I love a lot and can I help with that.” And he said “Yeah, what are your ideas?”

He listened to my ideas and wrote them down and he used them really for just that part. Once things started going, it’s all Derek Kolstad. So he gave me a story credit for contributing to the first third.

Were you always going to play Ulysses?

Yes. And I wanted to call him Ulysses because I’m from Illinois and I know a lot about Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Ulysses’s nickname, after he was in the army, before the Civil War, when he moved back to Galina and worked for his younger brothers, his nickname was Useless. He was not good at running a company. And I love that – a guy who was so capable was, for a time in his life, considered useless.

Ah. I thought maybe Ulysses was a reference to “The Odyssey.”

Well, people have said it is “The Odyssey,” and I forget the reasons why, but if it is, I’ll take it.

Well, it is a hero’s journey. Anyway, tell me about the filmmaking process.

We shot in Winnipeg because we wanted snow, and they have snow. They didn’t have enough, but they eventually did. Also, it was cold enough that when you made snow, you’d still have it the next day.

We also got all these great Canadian actors. We got the vibe of a small town, because there are all these small towns there. Since I made the movie “Nebraska” with Alexander Payne and we shot in those small towns, I wanted to do a story about all those towns which are littered across America and you know, they’re having a hard time. And there’s people who want to keep their small town alive and they’re trying to find a way to do it. And in this story, they find a way to do it.

Any memorable moments from shooting that come to mind?

Many. First of all, it was a joy to make. Inventing the fight, the one with the gun; the shootout in the restaurant, the big shootout; seeing the moose, interacting with the moose … I had a such a good time with Jess McLeodd, who plays the daughter of the previous sheriff. Being around Henry Winkler is great fun. Billy MacLellan is so funny as the deputy, Mike. Billy MacLellan is a great Canadian actor and he was in “Nobody.” 

We did have some danger when we drove the truck through the front of the bank. It’s not a funny story – it was scary. Went too far. Stunts are dangerous. They can be. You have to do five levels of safety protocols and we had a moment that was scary. No one got hurt, but oh my God. Driving a truck through the front of a building. You better make sure everyone is far away, and in the snow, where you can’t really see where your stop marks are, it was dangerous.

All the fake blood and the gunfire is great fun for me. I like using blanks so there’s an actual reaction on the gun. We had a great fight in the hardware store. I loved that fight.

What was the reaction to the film on the festival circuit?

It is particularly beloved by audiences of film fans. Ben Wheatley is a great filmmaker and it feels like a Ben Wheatley film above all. But there are connections to a Quentin Tarantino-style film, ’70s action films, “High Noon,” “High Plains Drifter.” We always talk about “The Taking of Pelham 123.”

The throwback quality of it is really cool. Why does it feel like an old movie in a satisfying way? What is it about it? Here’s a story. It’s controlled. It’s not trying to compete with a big-budget movie. It’s just saying, I’m going to tell you this specific little story and it’s going to be great fun. How come there aren’t more films like that? 

What happens to Ulysses after the movie? Meaning, do you ever see a “Normal 2” happening? 

I do. I also love that he’s with Alex on another job. Look, one thing I like about getting to do a sequel is, I like the character not being in the same existential state. So in the first film, in this case, he’s come from this place of reticence and uncertainty about himself, and took action, and made some of the good people better around him, then he’s got some confidence to work with in the next one.

I like when that happens in sequels, like in “Star Wars.” The characters grow to the next movie; they don’t just reset, which is a kind of thing that people often try to do with sequels, get their characters reset. I think that that’s cool if you can do it, but I can’t do it. If your character goes through growth of any kind, you have to start from that new place.

“Normal” is in theaters now.