Normal is a 2025 American action thriller directed by Ben Wheatley and starring Lena Headey, Henry Winkler, Bob Odenkirk, and more. The film was theatrically released in the United States on April 17, 2026, and is now available to stream on HBO Max.

The film follows Ulysses, who arrives in the small town of Normal, Minnesota, to serve as the interim sheriff after the sudden death of the town’s police chief. But it doesn’t take long for him to realize that something about this seemingly quiet town is not… well, normal.

For starters, there’s a heavily stocked armory inside the police station, and the residents seem surprisingly wealthy compared to what you’d expect from a small town in the middle of Minnesota. As Ulysses begins investigating a bank robbery, he slowly uncovers the truth about the town, where all that money comes from, and just how deep the secrets really go.

Normal is pretty much exactly what you’d expect based on the trailer and premise: an over-the-top action movie packed with chaos, violence, and plenty of absurdity. And honestly, I appreciated that the film doesn’t try to pretend it’s something it’s not.

It fully embraces the ridiculousness of its story and delivers a bloody, high-energy, fun-filled ride with plenty of quirky characters and, of course, a charismatic performance from Bob Odenkirk. He brings the kind of personality to the lead role that makes it easy to stay entertained, even when the story gets completely outrageous.

The movie is entertaining from beginning to end and moves with plenty of adrenaline. There isn’t much downtime, and the film knows exactly what it wants to be. a loud, chaotic, old-school action movie designed purely to have fun.
Now, is there anything particularly new or memorable here? Not really. The story isn’t breaking any new ground, and you’re probably not going to be thinking about this movie weeks after watching it.
But honestly, that’s okay.

Couple of Critics Verdict: Normal doesn’t pretend to be high art, and that’s part of its charm. It’s an old-school, crowd-pleasing action movie filled with bullets, blood, chaos, quirky characters, and plenty of ridiculous moments. If you’re looking for something serious and thought-provoking, this probably isn’t it. But if you just want to sit back, turn your brain off, and enjoy some adrenaline-fueled mayhem, Normal gets the job done.
Sometimes you just need a movie that’s loud, bloody, ridiculous, and fun. And that’s exactly what this is.