Reptile movie review

Without a doubt, among the movie genres that are easily admixed with others, subject to various variations and the most reworked in recent years, is the thriller. It also led to misuse of his definition, but that's part of the game. However, there are several inherent characteristics that make it plausible and effective. One is to create the right atmosphere, and the other is to morally change the main character's world because of the plot in which the movie places him.

Review of the movie "Reptile "

In the review of the film "Reptile," a Netflix original production available on the platform from September 29, 2023, talk about a work that stems from these two cardinal premises to create an archetype that is able to expand its scope and seeks to become a metaphor for the black soul of America, where there is no good or bad and where the only thing that matters is money. The movie as a whole has some flaws, but its ambition and measure are what's important.

Not bad for a debut feature and not bad for the debut work of a director who comes from the world of music videos, though it's reasonable to assume Grant Singer was Benicio del Toro's assistant, lead actor, co-screenwriter with Benjamin Brewer and co-executive producer. Next to the actor with Portuguese roots is Alicia Silverstone, absolutely right for the role, thanks in part to the chemistry created with the first named, slightly out of character Justin Timberlake, a not-so-strong Michael Pitt and Karl Glusman, who can do everything and where to put it.

The star here is del Toro, and he becomes the catalyst for the viewer's attention, the synthesis of the film's meaning and the metronome of its development. Thrillers, which are concerned with creating an atmosphere of moral change in the protagonist's world, are based on such responsible acting.

Will (Timberlake) is a real estate guru

Will (Timberlake) is a real estate guru. Not so much because of his working qualities, but because he is a member of the Grady family, which is one of the most important names in this area of the market.

In "Reptile," as in any self-respecting thriller, we learn all this after his brutal murder (33 stabbings and a blade left in his body), which is when Detective Tom Nichols (del Toro) begins his investigation, which, except for some counterplanning, governs the pace and the ways in which the viewer learns everything he or she needs to know to make sense of the plot.

What is key to the movie's operation becomes, as it progresses, the background to Tom, his relationship with his wife Judy (Silverstone), his reason for moving from Oklahoma to Maine, the weight the man has gained within his new homicide team and how his relationship with his job has changed.

Research gives way to solutions because of the characters created and presented by the more or less automatic pilot, because it is not the case itself that matters, but its moral, social, emotional, and psychological echoes.

It is not often that the focus of a thriller is centered on its protagonist rather than on the plot itself, which is characteristic of the detective novel, or on the attitude toward the killer, which in its closest police sense remains an obvious feature of noir. It's also a strength of the genre that, more than others, it can really take on the responsibility of effectively discussing humanity and politics. Add to that the fact that it will never go out of style.

The movie "Reptile" is a television thriller

The movie "Reptile," more television than cinematic, says this, drawing from the in-depth investigation work that Joon-ho and Fincher have reimagined in the modern era, and that blossomed on the small screen with the "True Detective" series.

Del Toro (in the foreground, but that's not news) brings the movie's hero symbol to the screen because he's contraversial and full of "darkness" coming from the past, which undermines the viewer's trust in his intelligence while he sometimes finds himself lost in the fog into which the current case has dragged him. What is important here is the depiction of his personal life, his relationship with his wife, with his friends and colleagues, which must be a contrast to the world of witnesses and investigation before they begin to gradually merge.

The atmosphere becomes important because it must be like a garment that fits the detective, first a supporter and then a victim of the reality in which he is immersed because of the plot, whose results become a way of talking about capitalism, the American bourgeoisie and provincial reality. All of these aspects are shrouded in a questionable morality that affects the detective as well. It's up to him to stand up for himself, to change his views, to say no.

Singer's movie isn't perfect, but it's a decent example of the cinematic archetype described, thanks to Mike Gioulakis' photography and a rhythm that allows it to never be idle and even have some really effective moments of tension. What does the rest is a certain directorial rigor when it's not too formulaic, as in the geographical construction of the interiors and the visual recreation of the doppelganger theme, and when it stays within its comfort zone, which obviously the action scenes are not.

In conclusion, despite the fact that it is actually the little brother compared to the giants of the movie genre, "Reptile" is a worthy representative of a moral thriller with a great atmosphere and a great protagonist.

"Reptile" is available on Netflix starting September 29, 2023.