Reptile, 2023.
Directed by Grant Singer.
Starring Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Pitt, Karl Glusman, Eric Bogosian, Frances Fisher, Domenick Lombardozzi, Owen Teague, Matilda Lutz, Victor Rasuk, Sky Ferreira, Ato Essandoh, Thad Luckinbill, Catherine Dyer, Mike Pniewski, Jesse C. Boyd, Amy Parrish, Michael Beasley, James Devoti, Matt Medrano, Elena Varela, Michael Rene Walton, Mel Pralgo, Africa Miranda, Monique Yvette Grant, Tiffany Fallon, Deena Beasley, and Alex Parkinson.
SYNOPSIS:
Nichols, a hardened New England detective unflinching in his pursuit of a case where nothing is as it seems, one that begins to dismantle the illusions in his own life.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Reptile wouldn’t exist.
Music video directed turned filmmaker Grant Singer creates an illusion that interesting developments are unfolding during Reptile, a homicide case procedural regarding the brutal murder of a real estate agent woman and a close group of law enforcement colleagues to Benicio del Toro’s formerly disgraced lead detective Tom Nichols. This support system is as equally suspicious as the persons of interest close to the woman’s life, rather nonchalant about the mystery, placing bets on the perpetrator’s identity. Viewers at home watching on Netflix can comfortably bet the house on who is involved, even if they might need to wait for the specific details to be revealed over this unruly, exhausting 2+ hour running time where, once again, nothing is actually happening.
Having worked with world-famous musicians such as Taylor Swift and The Weeknd, there is also no questioning that Grant Singer is a fan of filmmakers David Fincher and Denis Villeneuve, with his direction for Benicio del Toro’s central moody performance seemingly amounting to “act like you are in Sicario all over again,” which is to say that there is intended to be an overwhelming inner conflict within the character and his relations to the job and law enforcement. Unsurprisingly, Benicio del Toro excels at portraying the nuances of that dilemma and has a handle on the story Grant Singer and screenwriting collaborator Benjamin Brewer want to tell, offering his contributions to the script (presumably only for his character), which only goes so far since the rest of the narrative is a meandering, routine, mundane slog.
Reptile begins with some promise of attempting a trashy murder mystery tone that might have at least provided some entertaining thrills, opening with a short window into a day in the lives of real estate duo Will Grady (Justin Timberlake) and girlfriend Summer (Matilda Lutz), culminating with a slight burst of verbal anger and terror from the former before sleeping (she missed him deliver a presentation that was important to him.) Within the next day or so, Will arrives at one of their homes for sale, shocked and horrified to see Summer, a dead, bloody mess lying on the floor (stabbed so many times that the sharp object got stuck in her body.)
This draws interest to a plethora of suspects ranging from a separated lover (Karl Glusman) that Summer was still seeing to a creepy stalker (Michael Pitt) whose family was on the receiving end of a bad business deal, leaving him desiring nothing more than seeing Will get his just desserts (going as far as referring to him as the devil in front of detectives), and other friends and relatives. The case also appears connected to a drug trafficker briefly played by Owen Teague.
Meanwhile, a sizable portion of the narrative is also dedicated to placing viewers into Tom’s personal life, which amounts to the tight love he shares with his partner Judy (Alicia Silverstone), an ailing police chief captain (Eric Bogosian) recently diagnosed with MS, a novice partner under his professional and personal wing (Ato Essandoh), and another friendly officer (Domenick Lombardozzi) quick to give away expensive belongings. In addition to working together, they share a family dynamic, intended to make the proceedings more tense and dramatic since it’s transparent someone here is also involved with the mystery at hand.
For roughly 45 minutes, when Reptile establishes the murder, characters, and suspects, the atmospheric approach certainly works and sets up an intriguing case to solve. Then, the filmmakers can’t decide if they want to reveal their cards, meaning an excruciatingly lengthy amount of time renders Reptile spinning its towards the unsatisfying inevitable. The predictability might have been easier to accept if some of that self-indulgence was cut down, with a focus on effectively executing the story’s twists and turns. If nothing else, it would have been shorter, with a slightly more manageable balance of dryly dull detective work and jolts of action.
There is an engaging monologue where Tom mentions to a therapist a recurring nightmare where he cannot pull the firearm trigger during a conflict, something he may or may not have to do at some point here. Exploring the increasing ease of shooting and killing after doing so once on the force would have allowed for some compelling character depth, but the whole scene mostly exists just to give Benicio del Toro something edgy and cool to say. That also summarizes Reptile as a whole; it’s an imposter with no idea what makes a thriller riveting and complex.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
