When the girl of his dreams gets kidnapped, a man turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected advantage as he fights a bunch of thugs to get her back.
Director: Robert Olsen, Dan Berk
Cast: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Genre: Action, Comedy, Thriller
Rated R for strong bloody violence, grisly images, and language throughout.
Runtime: 1h 50m
Review:
Novocaine is fun, over the top, gimmick driven action film that stays afloat thanks to its gonzo approach and likable turns from Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder. Directors Robert Olsen and Dan Berk deliver a quirky blend of rom-com moments offset by a series of increasingly gory violence throughout the film. There are echoes of 2006's frenetic Crank even though this film can't maintain that sort of unbridled manic energy consistently. There are plenty of high points scattered throughout the film's nearly two-hour runtime which makes for a choppy experience that screams for some judicious editing especially for this kind of film. When it works it does so because of the well acclimated set pieces that make great use of our living crash test dummy as he pursues his kidnapped love interest. Jack Quaid brings what's quickly becoming a trademark goofy charm to the role that fits this incredibly sheltered character perfectly. Quaid makes it easy to root for this character that's totally out of his depth who's more than willing to risk life and limb to rescue the girl that's taken his heart. Amber Midthunder works well as the love interest here as she's clearly more than just a damsel in distress. Midthunder gives her character a bit more depth than you'd expect from this sort of role and the film is better for it overall. The supporting players aren't so lucky as we get a handful of generic police and thug types played by Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh and Ray Nicholson with only Walsh leaving noticeable mark. This film also serves as a perfect example of the film's marketing killing most of the surprises and fun it has to offer as the trailer provide a nearly step by step run of the film's best parts leaving very little unseen. It’s a shame because if you've seen any of the trailers for Novocaine, you've likely seen the best parts of the film as nearly every moment is given away beforehand.
C+
