Sheriff Ulysses Richardson (Bob Odenkirk) takes on the temporary role of sheriff in the small town of Normal, Minnesota, following the death of the town’s current sheriff. He needs to keep things on an even keel for eight weeks until elections are held to vote in a new sheriff, but a simple robbery attempt on the local bank uncovers the town’s darkest secrets.

Normal is another film in Bob Odenkirk’s unlikely career transformation into the everyman action hero, seemingly picking up the baton from Liam Neeson as the veteran dramatic actor headlining breezy ninety-minute action thrillers. Odenkirk clearly believes in the formula as well, given that he has a hand in the story for this film, written by Nobody screenwriter Derek Kolstad.

Normal sees Odenkirk playing a man with a past he is trying to outrun. We hear him leave voicemails for his estranged wife that gradually fill in his backstory while he goes about his duties with a gentle touch, determined to leave everything exactly as he found it. However, a bank robbery carried out by two out-of-towners threatens to reveal something hidden in the vaults that the town desperately wants to keep secret, and the film soon evolves into a tense siege thriller. It feels like a blend of Hot Fuzz and Assault on Precinct 13.

It is also directed by Ben Wheatley, a filmmaker whose early independent work would hardly have marked him out as someone who would go on to direct Meg 2: The Trench, or indeed a film like this. That said, he previously made the underrated Free Fire, another stand-off movie that shares some DNA with Normal. While Wheatley brings his usual efficiency behind the camera, the project never quite feels as distinctive as his best work.

The result is an enjoyable but unremarkable genre exercise. This is straightforward escapist entertainment, playing on the classic western ideal of an honourable lawman trying to maintain order in a town full of troublemakers. Odenkirk’s action heroes always come with a little self-aware humour, which keeps proceedings light and breezy. There are even a couple of cameos from Lena Headey and Henry Winkler that add a welcome spark.

However, the film never quite delivers an action sequence memorable enough to elevate it above its contemporaries. Likewise, while Ulysses emerges as a reasonably well-developed protagonist, much of that characterisation comes through a series of voicemail messages to his estranged wife rather than through the drama itself. The supporting cast and the town’s secrets are functional rather than compelling, leaving the film feeling somewhat underdeveloped.

Ultimately, Normal is not a film that will stay in your memory for long, but for ninety minutes it delivers exactly what it sets out to: uncomplicated, entertaining action led by an immensely likeable star.