‘Reptile’ Review – Great Performers Cannot Help This Lifeless Thriller

Reptile does not seem to be a movie on the radar for many people. This is no surprise since Netflix still needs to improve its marketing strategy. Reptile focuses on a detective from New England working on a home invasion homicide, but it’s not what it seems. The deeper he goes with this case, the more he realizes how corrupt things really are. As a film, Reptile could make a better impression as a Netflix original. Grant Singer’s directorial debut needs more sense of energy – it feels lifeless. Of course, it could be the director’s intention so that the film could feel more apathetic instead of an emotional story representing the main character, Benicio del Toro as Tom Nichols. Tom is a calculated officer, but at times he can be passionate, usually only when he is around his wife, Judy, played by Alicia Silverstone. 

Silverstone’s performance is just as dry as del Toro’s, which isn’t something that the actors should be blamed for because they have given great performances in the past. Clueless and Sicario are great examples. This doesn’t excuse how their performances affect the film as a whole. It isn’t just these two; it’s the whole cast. Reptile has a lot of fantastic actors, like Karl Glusman (Neon Demon) and Frances Fisher (Titanic). There is a lot of talent present, but none of the actors feel like they are giving their best effort. Well, maybe other than Justin Timberlake. He has been killing it with his roles for a while now. Most recently, he did an excellent job in Palmer, and he keeps that momentum up here, playing a grieving real estate agent, Will Grady.

Even with some of the weaker aspects of the film, the cinematography from Michael Gioulakis and editing by Kevin Hickman hold everything together. In a scene where Tom has a bad dream, the framing of the shot makes everything feel more dynamic. When Tom wakes up, Hickman’s editing is beautifully executed, and nightmare and reality are intertwined seamlessly. There are other shots that Gioulakis plays around with that are always enjoyable to see—more specifically, the mirror shots. This type of composition helps shape each scene in which it was used. Whether it is to fill the camera or help to create a dramatic effect, they were successful every time.

Reptile does feel more like a crime noir through and through, and Grant Singer superbly keeps the focus throughout the entire runtime. It seems like many recent movies attempt to juggle many genres all at once but are less successful in their efforts. Operation Fortune, The Big Four, and Three Thousand Years of Longing are just a few examples of movies doing too much for their own good. Even so, with Reptile having a specific tunnel vision, it creates another flaw; it takes too long to finish. Some of the fat could be trimmed to shorten the movie. Instead of it being two hours and sixteen minutes, it could have easily been around an hour and thirty minutes and still would have achieved the same result.

Overall, Reptile should be a better film. If you’re looking for a Netflix feature to watch, you’d be better off trying Extraction, Bullet Train, or Athena for a better time. Even so, social media has been loving Reptile, so if you give it a try, watch it with an open mind. 

Reptile is currently playing in select theaters and is available to stream on Netflix. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS1cNkZ9o1U]