Normal (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A newly arrived interim sheriff must navigate a web of conspiracy and violence in a small town protecting a yakuza syndicate's secrets.
The story
Ulysses begins serving as interim sheriff of Normal, Minnesota, a prosperous small town where he is initially occupied with routine reports. However, upon arrival, he notices unsettling details, such as a heavily stocked armory. After a botched bank robbery by a passing couple, Ulysses enters the bank to mediate. The situation escalates when his own deputy is ordered to eliminate him, leading to a violent confrontation. Ulysses discovers the town is secretly safeguarding a yakuza crime syndicate's assets. He must decide whether to join the local conspiracy or protect the intruders as a blizzard cuts off the town from the outside world.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Ulysses, the new interim sheriff of Normal, Minnesota, discovers the town's prosperity is built on a secret: they are protecting a yakuza syndicate's wealth. When a couple, Lori and Keith, attempts to rob the local bank, Ulysses intervenes. During the heist, his deputy Blaine turns on him, and a chaotic shootout ensues. Ulysses discovers the vault contains massive amounts of gold and weapons. The mayor offers Ulysses a permanent position if he kills the robbers, but Ulysses chooses to protect them. After a violent skirmish that kills the mayor, Ulysses and the couple flee into a blizzard. Meanwhile, the yakuza are alerted and send a team to investigate. Ulysses eventually teams up with Alex, the child of the previous sheriff, and they use explosives to force a deal with the townspeople to fake a robbery. When the yakuza arrive, a freak accident kills their leader during a celebration. The film ends with Ulysses and Alex working as substitute sheriffs in rural Texas, while Blaine becomes the new sheriff of Normal.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English; Japanese
- Directors
- Ben Wheatley
- Writers
- Derek Kolstad · screenplay; Derek Kolstad · story; Bob Odenkirk · story
- Cast and characters
- Bob Odenkirk · Sheriff Ulysses; Henry Winkler · Mayor Kibner; Lena Headey · Moira; Reena Jolly · Lori; Ryan Allen · Deputy Blaine Anderson; Billy MacLellan · Deputy Mike Nelson; Brendan Fletcher · Keith; Peter Shinkoda · Joe; Jess McLeod · Alex Gunderson
- Genres
- action; thriller; crime; comedy
- Themes
- corruption; loyalty; conspiracy
- Tone and mood
- tense; violent; Hitchcockian
- Premise and plot tags
- small-town_mystery; action_thriller; yakuza_involvement; police_corruption
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- CinemaScore · score: C+ · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The script was developed following a collaboration between Derek Kolstad and Bob Odenkirk on the film Nobody.; The film was scheduled for a wide release in the United States across 2,000 theaters.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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