Reptile (2023) Review!!

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.

My Take – I think we can all unanimously agree that Benicio del Toro, who won an Academy award for his portrayal of the jaded but morally upright police officer Javier Rodriguez in the film Traffic (2000), is among one of the best actors working today.

Yet, for the past few years his appearances have grown somehow limited, with del Toro mostly showing up in insignificant supporting roles or cameos. Though I thoroughly enjoyed his performance in No Sudden Move (2021), it feels like his last great role came as Alejandro Gillick, a former Mexican prosecutor turned assassin, in director Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario (2015) and its comparatively underwhelming sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018).

As a result of which this bleak noir detective thriller, which immediately looked like something on the lines of Prisoners (2013) and the True Detective series, felt like the right project to stamp his undeniable presence all over the screen. Of course it helps that del Toro executive produces and co-writes the feature with Benjamin Brewer and Grant Singer, who makes his feature directorial debut after earning his credentials as a music video director.

Dabbling in the sleek procedural style of filmmaker David Fincher, the ensuing feature is far from conventional fare we have come to expect. Mainly as it tests the endurance of most casual viewers who may not be prepared to invest in the time required to flesh out the characters, whilst the story builds up with a brooding sense of malevolence throughout.

And though by its end it is unfortunately unable manage to reach the heights of similar themed titles, it is still ultimately a decent enough detective thriller with a strong sense of style and some committed performances. Particularly from del Toro who captures the essence of the rough and desensitized cop who also has a quirky side to him.

Set in the town of Scarborough, the story follows Tom Nichols (Benecio del Toro), a detective, who along with his wife, Judy (Alicia Silverstone), is hoping to start afresh due to an earlier internal affairs investigation, which cleared him, but made it difficult for him to continue there because of all the bad blood and suspicion in his former department. Now, thanks to Robert Allen (Eric Bogosian), his Police Captain uncle-in-law, who helped him get a new post, he is leading a brutal homicide involving a young real estate agent, Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz).

Partnered with Dan Cleary (Ato Essandoh), the two run down all evidence against the most obvious suspect, Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), Summer’s boyfriend. However, as Tom discovers more evidence, other suspects come to light, including Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt), who has a personal vendetta against the Grady family, accusing them of being solely responsible for his father’s suicide, and Sam Gifford (Karl Glusman), Summer’s ex-husband. The case proves itself more complicated when Tom starts to add things up that don’t make sense, leading to something with larger scale implications.

Though the film is 136 minutes long, director Grant Singer gets you so involved that your head starts spinning at a point. It is in the last 28 minutes that we get to know what underwent. When the identity of the real killer is revealed, I felt that the film was very carefully made as the writers didn’t let any unwanted information slip away to maintain the suspense.

While it is easy figuring out who murdered Summer, there’s not a moment of boredom, particularly as director Singer attempts to subvert audience expectations by establishing an extremely oppressive atmosphere right from the feature’s opening sequences and, indeed, title shot. Wielding an insanely disconcerting score from Mandy composer Yair Elazar Glotman, you know at the outset that this is going to be a tough ride, with discordant tones creeping into key scenes to further set you on edge.

Despite this being his directorial debut, Singer showcases a talent for creating suspense and shows a strong grasp on film making from a stylistic and technical sense with the film given some solid shots that capture the environments in which Nichols investigates. With a predominantly suburban setting that often uses the states of various homes trying to sell having signs of vermin infestation or a neglected swimming pool with stagnant water, you get the sense he is trying to capture that underlying sense of rot within these seemingly idyllic homes.

In a stylish sequence, Tom dials a mysterious number that holds the potential to solve the case. As he listens to the tone, he skillfully inter-cuts scenes of various characters answering ringing phones. The issue with the film lies in its inability to maintain the impressive moment-to-moment control throughout the broader story. In order to hide its predictability, the trio of writers overload the narrative with awkward twists and artificial plot devices to throw off the audience.

Thankfully, where the film lacks some storytelling pitfalls, it succeeds in developing strong character arcs, each brilliantly acted by a star-studded ensemble of highly talented actors. Benicio Del Toro, with his world-weary demeanor and a haunting gaze, portrays the aging detective with brilliance.

As Nichols, del Toro gives a restrained yet emotionally investing portrayal of a man torn between doing the right thing or letting the case go. He’s measured, occasionally even warm, but deliciously intense and finds a surprisingly good foil in Alicia Silverstone, who puts in one of her best latter-career performances.

Justin Timberlake and Michael Pitt are as always intensely good. In other roles, Eric Bogosian, Frances Fisher, Auto Essandoh, Domenick Lombardozzi, Mike Pniewski, Sky Ferreira, Karl Glusman and Matilda Lutz are great. On the world, ‘Reptile’ is a complex moody detective thriller bolstered by the incredible talents of Benicio del Toro.