Reptile 2023

Reptile-2023
Reptile 2023

The debut thriller ‘Reptile’ is a Zalbatian film, where Benpolit De l Toros stylishly moves and dances around courtesy of the vision and imagination that Singer had. It is apparent that Grant Singer was educated by the elite and he gained valuable knowledge from Fincher’s attention to detail. This could definitely be described as a trade off; Singer is a music video industry professional who has done videos for Abel Tesfaye, Sonny Moore, Samuel Frederick Smith, and others. Singer made a grave error: he believed that getting a narrative correct is simply piling different themes on an already existing one, which is why ‘Reptile’ lacked a distinctive polish. Del Toro is always impressive and carries the show, so much so that it can be said that this is the most interesting role he occupied in ages. Additionally, it is painfully clear that there was a shortage of skill when it came to putting the film together. 

Real estate tycoon Wills Grady (Justin Timberlake) is currently in a relationship with an agent named Summer. They work together in flipping foreclosures in Scarborough high end housing estates under the careful supervision of Will’s mother Camille Fischer. The cruelty in their relationship is apparent as well as bubbling anger. One day Will goes to Summer’s showing only to find eviscerated remains of her.

As Atos Essendon’s partner, Detective Tom Nichols, and Dan Cleary are on a case, the suspects fall into place easily. The first unoiled suspect is Grady, played accurately by Timberlake, who always comes off as a borderline ‘E’ or ‘N’ type. He’s the sort of guy who has his new girlfriend arranged to look exactly like the one who died. He puts on quite a show, claiming to have found the body looking suspicious. Who could it be other than Summer’s soon to be ex husband Sam, played by Karl ? His introduction is, quite frankly, subpar as they show him trying to cut the hair off a stranger on CCTV in order to fashion it into art ITs not art folks, its f-ed up. He looks to be missing a few cards from the deck so All the nuts featured on the suspect list also include Eli Phillips, who is Michael Pitt and was robbed by his father during a Grady deal. Could that have been his motivation behind killing Summer? 

Singer, Benjamin Brewer, and Del Toro do a commendable job in the script since it is filled with potential murder suspects and also with people who are close to Tom, including his wife Judy, who has her shining moments in the movie having transformed into an appealing, character as played by Alicia Silverstone. In some of the first scenes of the movie, attempting to work the case from an angle, Judy assists him and it works splendidly.

With the conviction and passion of a true detective, she passionately engages in solving the cosmos. She is acquainted with and adores Captain Robert Allen, Tom’s superior, who is depicted being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis yes, this is a drama in which there is no character development as each person possesses the same memorable quirk. This is nothing but predictable caricatures crafted by a departed screenwriter. 

Indeed, the fact that one can hear a writer’s voice or see the gaze of a director is unproblematic nobody would argue that a voice like Fincher’s would be more subdued in that sense however, the complexities of “Reptile” come down to technique and idea. The style is richly present, nonetheless, there is never the impression that there is any vision. The oh so great Mike Goulka’s (‘It Follows’, ‘Split’) slides his camera through the powerful spaces, but why? What’s the point? The style is abandoned and the substance is progressively more empty as the film’s too long 134 minutes go by. “Reptile” makes the mistake of grabbing too much and missing all of it. The unresolved subplots and inconsistent characters fill the void.

But then again, for me, there is this certain performance right in the middle. Outstanding is Del Toro’s portrayal of a man who has been through everything and is now just seeking an peace that will never arrive. He restrains from excessive acting when it comes to trauma or any living experience, and emotes through the influence of his body language as well as the piercing gaze of those unforgettable eyes. Sometimes, like when Tom draws from his real estate career during the home remodel, the performance is quite humorous. There are some decent turns in the ensemble Silverstone, Borgesian, Pitt- but Del Toro is on another level, existing in his own space. A space that belongs in a much better movie.

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