Novocaine: No Pain, All Gain (Early Review)

In a mere eleven years, the ‘John Wick’ formula—hyper-violent, stylized martial arts revenge flicks—has taken off, been endlessly replicated, and altered: What if John Wick was old? (i.e. Nobody). What if it took place in India? (i.e. Monkey Man). What if John Wick was a woman? (i.e. Atomic Blonde). What if John Wick was a beekeeper? (i.e. The Beekeeper). However, despite the slew of clones that came before it, Novocaine delivers a surprising, crowd-pleasing, and refreshing take on a tried-and-true formula that avoids falling into familiarity through its commitment to establishing the fundamentals of its story, injecting a charismatic cast, and finding new, brutal ways to push its premise to squeamish and hilarious extremes: what if John Wick was a dorky bank teller who couldn’t feel pain?

The story follows Nathan “Nate” Caine (Quaid)—known to his childhood bullies as “Novocaine” due to a genetic disorder he lives with that prevents Nate from feeling pain (congenital insensitivity to pain, or CIP). Yet, despite carrying a fitting name for a pseudo-superhero, Nate lives a very mild-mannered life as a bank teller, carefully curating his life to avoid danger or conflict. Things change, however, when a group of bank-robbing kidnappers threatens his co-worker—and love interest—Sherry Margrave (played by the underrated Amber Midthunder), forcing Nate to step out of his carefully controlled life to protect her.

One of the film’s greatest assets is how patient it is in developing character before diving into the action, allowing ample time to build the chemistry between the two lead actors before separating them. Eventually, as Nate falls down the rabbit hole in search of Sherry, he engages in a series of escalating fight scenes built around environmental and prop combat. The results are stellar—well-choreographed, clearly staged action sequences that incorporate a healthy dose of body horror for good measure. One’s enjoyment may depend on how much amusement they find in watching Quaid get thrown around, but one could argue the actor has never been better. He presents audiences a hero who is uncompromising in his goal of saving Sherry, yet also the nicest guy for the job, apologizing for every injury along the way. Those familiar with Quaid’s role in The Boys might see shades of Hughie, but Novocaine is a great vehicle for the actor to jump into the action, proving he’s just as capable and captivating as the lead as he is working in an ensemble.

Filling out the punchy supporting cast is a strong group of actors, from Jacob Batalon putting an R-rated spin on his familiar Spider-Man persona to Ray Nicholson’s sly smirk and mocking tone making him an effortlessly detestable antagonist—so much so that the character’s vague motivations and over-the-top villainy hardly matter. The ensemble brings surprising richness to the film; in a lesser production, the cop sections might feel like filler, but Matt Walsh and Betty Gabriel inject them with energy, delivering some of the film’s funniest dialogue while also helping continue to ground the drama (That said, the latter’s character could have used more development).

In the end, Novocaine may not reinvent the wheel, but it certainly puts a fresh spin on the subgenre. Despite working off of a bare-bones script, the film is brought to life by numerous charismatic performances, great action set-pieces, and a commitment to pushing its premise, making it stand out in a sea of imitators. Bouncing between light humanistic touches and intense, visceral violence, Novocaine is an effective, light-hearted gem in the action genre that is a satisfying ride from start to finish. There would be no complaints here if Paramount Pictures decided there’s franchise potential.

still courtesy of Paramount Pictures

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J.A. Birney

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