Running Time: 110 minutes
This feature from Paramount Pictures opens exclusively at cinemas on March 14th.
When you age, your tastes in film start changing. While you still might admire an exaggerated action picture from your youth, a modern-day equivalent may not have the same impact. The new film Novocaine is a slickly produced, staggeringly violent action/comedy that takes gleeful joy in shocking its audience. It’s the type of over-the-top picture that I would have greatly enjoyed in my early 20s. Unfortunately, this type of material doesn’t resonate as strongly with me now as it would have decades ago and so my reaction to the film was muted.
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is a lonely, socially awkward bank executive and the reason for his solitary behavior is unusual. He suffers from CIP, a congenital insensitivity to pain. Nathan not only has to watch out for sharp objects around him, but must be careful with extreme temperatures in foods, in addition to other sensory dangers. When bank teller Sherry (Amber Midthunder) starts a conversation with him, the two unexpectedly connect. Nathan is smitten, but everything goes sideways when armed figures Simon (Ray Nicholson), Andre (Conrad Kemp) and Ben (Evan Hengst) rob the bank and take Sherry as a hostage. Worried for Sherry’s safety, Nathan pursues the criminals himself, using his odd condition to endure brutally violent attacks.
And that’s more or less the entire movie. After a first act establishing Nathan’s adoration for Sherry, it’s one long chase with the protagonist hunting down each individual villain. The movie leans in very heavily on the gruesomeness of these conflicts. Various jarring injuries befall the lead, as viewers see his obliviousness as he is burned, cut, or impaled, and bones are broken. All of this is displayed using wince-inducing close-ups.
Quaid is likable as the meek Nathan, the relationship between he and Sherry early on is sweetly-handled, and there are some creatively demented moments. This is especially true early on when the hero attempts to fight back against the first villain, still maintaining a polite manner even as incredible damage is inflicted between the figures. There are other amusing scenarios, such as a scene in which the lead feigns agony while being tortured in order to buy himself time. Additionally, one very funny sequence involves Nathan asking for medical treatment from shocked client Earl (Lou Beatty Jr.). Earl’s reaction to the lead’s already flabbergasting state earns laughs.
While a number of these moments are entertaining, there is a repetitiveness to the story that eventually hampers some of the enjoyment. It seems that in each scene as he moves from robber to robber, the hero gets maimed and then uses that injury (or a weapon used on him) to fight back. It’s all fine for a while, but does become tiring. As written, the antagonists are all so blatantly cruel and nasty that they never distinguish themselves or make a lasting impression. A twist in the story that arrives fairly early is obvious from the outset, and, with a vigilante story like this, one also has to constantly overlook plot holes involving the bizarre quest and the concurrent police investigation.
I can easily see how all the exaggerated maiming would appeal to a young moviegoer simply looking for humorous shocks and gore. Admittedly, bits and pieces of the feature did amuse me. But it feels like that’s all that the film is focused on, and there’s only so many times you can see a person be impaled on an unexpected item, before it fails to impress. And instead astonishing the viewer, by the close Novocaine ends up numbing one’s senses.
NOTE: The film was shown to the press in 4DX. This reviewer did not enjoy the experience, likening it to being randomly shook around on a theme park simulator ride. Some elements, like wind blowing and a few well-timed hits worked, but there was an overabundance of shaking and thrashing during lengthy fights that felt more distracting than immersive.