Twistedly Entertaining
Summary
Novocaine is an unhinged good time with plenty of laughs to go along with the bloodshed. Jack and Amber make for likeable leads and the action is slick and effective making this well worth seeing on the big screen.
Plot: When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, a man incapable of feeling physical pain turns his rare condition into an unexpected advantage in the fight to rescue her.
Review: I’ve been looking forward to Novocaine as it looked like a romantic comedy meets Crank and that’s essentially what it is. Jack Quaid (The Boys) is perfectly cast as our lead Nate Caine, an assistant bank manager who is floating through life. He meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder) and the pair fall for each other. We find out that Nate has a disorder which means he can’t feel pain which will come in very useful for the rest of the movie.
Robbers come into the bank and take Sherry hostage and Nate vows to save her no matter what. The performances all round are pitched just right with Nate and Sherry making for an amiable duo with great chemistry. Quaid can play the everyman in his sleep which is why he is so ideal as Nate; Amber Midthunder (Prey) is also well cast as the feisty Sherry who brings Nate out of his shell. Jack Nicholson’s son Ray makes for a great antagonist and there are a few moments when you’d think it was his dad with some of his mannerisms.
The first 20 minutes builds up the romance so we get to care about the leads and I found myself rooting for Nate all the way. When the action arrives it hits hard with some brutal fight scenes, darkly comedic violence and choice dialogue.
You could maybe have trimmed a couple of minutes for tighter pacing, but that’s really just nit-picking as this is still a ridiculously fun time. There are some twists and turns I didn’t see coming which keeps things fresh and interesting.
Overall, Novocaine is a bloody good time with two appealing leads, an entertaining script and some hilariously wince inducing moments of violence. I am pleased I saw this on the big screen as our audience seemed to be really into it, so I hope this movie is a success as it’s well deserved.