REVIEW #438 NOVOCAINE (2025)

Novocaine

Synopsis

When Nate, an assistant bank manager with a rare condition that prevents him from feeling pain, meets the love of his life, he’s soon willing to risk it all to save her from danger.

My Review

Novocaine, like it’s titular star Jack Quaid, is both charming and exciting, an action movie that offers an abundance of humour and captivating combat sequences, so much so, that it quickly become one of my favourite recent entries into the genre. The premise itself can seem pretty silly and outlandish but Dan Berk and Robert Olsen executed it in a way that never feels over the top, perfectly riding the line between humour and realistic action, that keeps the audience immersed into the world of Novocaine. It’s violent, it’s gory and I loved hearing Jack Quaid explain the John Wick inspiration because you can always see hints of that throughout the film, in both its choreography and even its cinematography too. The camera flows with the combat, bringing an authentic, yet creative feel to action. However, what makes this film special is that, even if you’re not usually a fan of out and out action movies, the comedy makes it approachable for anyone, something for everyone to enjoy, although if you’re squeamish, you may find yourself looking away at certain points, that’s for sure. On a budget of just $18m, I can see this film making that back and then some!

My Rating: 8.5 out of 10

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Film Review Club