Reptile Movie Review (2023): Interesting and Engaging From Start to Finish | Netflix Film
Cast: Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone
Director: Grant Singer
Streaming Platform: Netflix
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Reptile is a thriller directed by Grant Singer and written by Singer and Benjamin Brewer. The film stars Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, and Alicia Silverstone. A film that has everything to capture your attention: excellent performances, a good story, a solid screenplay, good technical achievement, quality production, and a murder case to solve. The problem: We’ve seen this story so many times before and it feels so boringly familiar that it fails to engage us. Presented at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Reptile is the new Netflix thriller that has enriched the platform’s already extensive catalog. Directed by Grant Singer, making his feature film debut, the film relies on a solid screenplay and the excellent performance of Benicio Del Toro (who, among other things, is credited as both the producer and the screenwriter), who brings to the screen one of those characters that he has always done best, that is, a man with ambiguous morality forced to move in a disturbing and dangerous world.
As we will see in this Reptile review, if it weren’t for a pace that was at times a bit dragging and for the perhaps excessively artificial and over-the-top rendering of some of its moments of maximum tension (absolutely forgivable defects given that this is a directorial debut), we could consider Singer’s film one of the best products of the genre of the year. The immersive viewing experience is guaranteed, also thanks to the inspired soundtrack by Yair Elazar Glotman Arca: the tense and disturbing music becomes an integral part of the narrative development, dragging the viewer into a crescendo of emotions. It is no coincidence that Singer has a past as a director of music videos, and – perhaps getting a little carried away now and then – makes the sound a central element of his work, transforming it into a material and heavy expression of the interiority of his protagonists.
Reptile Movie Review (2023): The Story Plot
Nothing is as it seems, the Netflix thriller Reptile questions the concept of truth several times, leading the viewer to investigate together with the characters and reveal the mystery. Two real estate agents, Will Grady (played by Justin Timberlake) and his girlfriend, Summer Elswick, live together in this house which appears to have been unused for many years. We soon discover that things between the two young people are not going well: an underlying sadness envelops the relationship. From Summer’s conversation with her best friend Renee, it becomes clear that the woman has cheated on Will. The argument between the two boyfriends comes to a head following an event that Summer failed to attend. The next day the young woman was found dead, murdered, in her home. A policeman with a complicated past, Tom Nichols (played by Benicio Del Toro) has been assigned to investigate the murder. Reptile questions our inherent trust in authority and examines the human capacity for evil.
The people tasked with solving these crimes are ordinary people with the same flaws, desires, and weaknesses as everyone else. The singer’s directorial imprint is clear: to create a film that evokes the feeling of being deceived. Making the film a cat and mouse chase, taking inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 The Conversation. Helping Tom Nichols during the investigation is his wife, played by Alicia Silverstone. Intelligent, bold, and with an unbridled passion for crime, the woman will be a point of reference for her husband during the investigation. Del Toro’s interpretation together with Silverstone offers the viewer that hint of charm to the film. As the plot of Reptile progresses, the viewer is continually led to think of a different thing and even if some narrative devices seem canonical of the genre, they are used intelligently in the film.
The film opens with the death of a beautiful young woman, Summer (Matilda Lutz), whose murdered body is found by her boyfriend Will (Justin Timberlake). The woman was a real estate agent who worked with her partner’s family and had been in the field of home sales for decades. The case is dealt with by a group of local policemen led by Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro), an agent with a dark past who has recently moved near his wife Judy’s (Alicia Silverstone) family intending to start over. Tom will immediately realize that Summer’s death hides much more than a simple crime of passion, something that could endanger his new and peaceful existence. By investigating the expert detective, he will bring to light a network of corruption, drug sales, and money laundering: but who instigated the murder? How far can Tom go to uncover the truth?
Reptile Movie Review and Analysis
What makes the story even more interesting is the work environment Tom finds himself in. He has colleagues who superficially appear to support him, but underneath there is an air of distrust due to his controversial past. This tense atmosphere adds a further layer of complexity to the narrative, bringing to light questions of loyalty and trust within the police force. As soon as the film begins, it’s clear that Grant Singer is a director who knows what he’s doing. He masterfully constructs a visual and aural environment that is tense, and disturbing and immediately captures the viewer’s attention. The soundtrack, composed by Yair Elazar Glotman, is a carpet full of sounds that perfectly underline every moment of tension or revelation.
Another element that distinguishes Reptile from other Netflix productions is its visual style. The cinematography is characterized by desaturated tones, intimate shots, and a certain degree of “graininess” that adds an almost tangible quality to the atmosphere of the film. Benicio del Toro, who plays Tom Nichols, brings a presence to the screen that is impossible to ignore. He is an actor who knows how to dominate every scene he is in, and in this film, he brings to life a character that is both intense and complex. Alongside him is Alicia Silverstone, who delivers one of her most solid performances in years. The contrast between the two is palpable and adds another layer of depth to the film.
But they are not the only notable actors. The film also boasts performances from Succession’s Eric Bogosian, Il Diplomatico’s Auto Essandoh, The Wire’s Domenick Lombardozzi, and Matilda Lutz, who will be the next Red Sonja. Michael Pitt and Karl Glusman, who many will remember from their roles in Funny Games, are also perfectly calibrated for their roles as suspects in the murder case. The only actor who seems a little out of place is Justin Timberlake, who fails to leave a good impression, especially compared to his recent role in the Apple film, Palmer. To conclude this review, Reptile is a film that will not leave you alone. Each element is designed to keep you on edge. And while it may require an investment of time and attention on the part of the viewer, it is a commitment that pays off in terms of emotional depth and narrative complexity. Denis Villeneuve’s hand and his style seem to hover as a sort of inspiration behind Singer’s work, offering a tense and charged atmosphere that makes the film an experience worth living.
The inspiration for this story with darker and more dramatic implications than ever is undoubtedly David Fincher’s filmography: Singer’s is a raw film, full of surprises, in which violence is told with impressive frankness and in which the tension grows constantly, dragging the viewer until its exciting final climax. If initially the atmosphere also seems like that of a small screen classic like True Detective, over time Reptile takes its path, telling a cross-section of America in which, even behind luxury homes and well-kept lawns, horror and roots are hidden. As we anticipated at the beginning, among the obvious (but forgivable) defects of Reptile there is the excessive duration (136 minutes): Singer’s film goes on a little too long in moments that are not particularly necessary – the scene in which Tom buying taps is fun, yes, but a bit useless – which ends up involuntarily dampening the tension. The film would have benefited from greater clarity, but in any case, the vision is never too heavy, and the viewer has no difficulty in maintaining high attention.
What is also striking about the film is the rich cast, led by Benicio Del Toro in great form: the actor in the role of Tom gives the best of himself, making a more ambiguous and dark-sided character more convincing than ever. His perfect counterpart is his wife Judy, played by a sparkling, intense, and fascinating Alicia Silverstone, who together with Del Toro truly steals the scene. The chemistry between the two is evident, and they stage a truly particular and in its way extremely credible couple dynamic, capable of making us empathize even more with their characters. However, we have some doubts about the character of Justin Timberlake, who, although he gives his character the necessary duplicity, seemed to us to be less than comfortable in a role of this type. One wonders whether the actor was the best choice for such a central role in a dark and distressing story like this, a context so different from those in which we are used to seeing him on the big and small screen.
Reptile Movie Review (2023): The Last Words
If you are a lover of crime dramas, Reptile is a movie you need to see. Directed by the skilled Grant Singer, the film introduces us to the world of Tom Nichols, a detective played very well by Benicio del Toro. As Nichols delves into a murder case full of twists and turns, the film draws you into a dark and gripping plot. Technically speaking, the art direction is impeccable, with shots designed to keep you on the edge and a soundtrack that intensifies every moment. Reptile is a good genre product, interesting and engaging from start to finish. The cast choices are excellent, led by Benicio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone in great form.
Reptile Movie Review (2023): Interesting and Engaging From Start to Finish | Netflix Film - Filmyhype
Director: Grant Singer
Date Created: 2023-09-29 14:25
3.5
Pros
- Benicio del Toro and Alicia Silverstone are caliber actors who rarely disappoint.
- The film manages to keep the tension high thanks to various twists.
- The quality of the shots and the sound elevate the viewing experience.
Cons
- You may not have a formed opinion about the film when it is cited as a reference in comparisons or analyzes of similar works or the thriller genre in general.
