Normal

"Small town. Big secret."

2026 1h 31m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 679

ActionCrimeThriller

Synopsis

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An unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past responds to a bank robbery in a small, sleepy town and unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive.

“Small town. Big secret.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Bob Odenkirk
Ulysses Richardson
Henry Winkler
Mayor Kibner
Lena Headey
Moira
Billy MacLellan
Deputy Mike Nelson
Ryan Allen
Deputy Blaine Anderson
Reena Jolly
Lori
Brendan Fletcher
Keith
Peter Shinkoda
Joe

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ben Wheatley
Writers: Derek Kolstad, Bob Odenkirk, Derek Kolstad
Languages: English, Japanese
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ben Wheatley, shot by Armando Salas. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jonathan Amos shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bob Odenkirk and Henry Winkler and Lena Headey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Small town. Big secret.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ben Wheatley directs. Armando Salas behind the camera. Harry Gregson-Williams scores. Jonathan Amos cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Japanese.
4Directed by Ben Wheatley, shot by Armando Salas. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Harry Gregson-Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jonathan Amos shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bob Odenkirk and Henry Winkler and Lena Headey carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Small town. Big secret.".
9IMDB entry: tt31195136 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 9 themes, including "small town", "sheriff", "bank robbery", "small town sheriff".

The technical file

Cinematography: Armando Salas
Original score: Harry Gregson-Williams
Editing: Jonathan Amos
Production design: Jean-Andre Carriere
Costume design: Heather Neale
Sound: Martin Pavey
Stunt coordinator: Emmanuel Manzanares
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $10,000,000
Box office: $6,095,691
Return: 61% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Normal (2026)

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Ben Wheatley

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Chris Sawin2026-04-22
★ 7/10
Normal is a flawed action film, but it uses its basic concept effectively. Its throwaway characters are used to a kick ass and bullet-heavy advantage while the action is swift, brutal, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. This is a bite-sized action film that delivers unabbreviated destruction. https://bit.ly/BobNormal
CinemaSerf2026-05-17
★ 6/10
I thought there something of the "Twin Peaks" about this as a temporary sheriff arrives in the town of Normal for a short stint following the untimely death of his predecessor. "Ulysses" (Bob Odenkirk) is about as laid back as a man can get, and so expects to do little in the sleepy town aside from settle squabbles between shopkeepers and listen to his deputy's squeaky leather jacket. Then the alarm in the bank goes off. Surely it's not being robbed? Anyway, his entire force race to the scene only to discover that - well that would be telling. Suffice to say, this new lawman finds himself in quite a predicament and with military grade hardware lined up against him; an unexplained giant pile of gold; an angry man with a sliced half-pinky and some very narked Yakuza heading to town, it looks like it's going to be a long night in Normal. Meantime we are treated to something of the obligatorily complex marital backstory from the sheriff as he strains to find an ally in this town that is so very much not what he'd (or we'd) come to expect. Odenkirk is a master at playing the understated character and he does that really quite well here, but the rest of the roles are a bit too undercooked. Just ask the "Fonz" himself (Henry Winkler) whose blink and you'll miss it effort makes very little impact in his snowy mayoralty. The last quarter of an hour is lively, messy and quite good fun and the whole ninety minutes passes along effortlessly enough, but I'm not too sure I'll remember this for very long - moose notwithstanding.
Sierbahnn2026-05-25
Enjoyable and refreshing. There's a lot of police movie tropes that people revert to when writing their scripts. There's a certain amount of side characters, plots and twists you can introduce. This movie does something interesting with all of that and while the execution isn't flawless, it's still a very entertaining movie and its casting is phenomenal. Parts of the movie are unbecomingly dark, which takes away from the action on screen as you simply cannot observe it. Other than that, I think it's a very technically proficient movie, and it is definitely funny enough to keep you engaged. The characters are interesting enough so that you get invested in them, which means that you care, and that builds the tension around them. I would say that this is a solid action movie and a far better cop movie than it initially presents itself to be.