Dark, funny thriller seen at The Light, Wisbech
Film review: Novocaine (15) - seen at The Light, Wisbech
Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson and Jacob Batalon
Directors: Dan Berk and Robert Olsen Run time: One hour, 50 minutes
Loner Nate has a rare condition where he cannot feel physical pain and has spent his whole life shielding away from the action to protect himself from injury.
So it takes a leap of faith to believe that after one lunch together and one, albeit very productive, date, he is prepared to put his life at risk to save co-worker Sherry from kidnappers.
But hey, people have been invested in Romeo and Juliet for more than 400 years, and Shakespeare’s hero is prepared to kill himself days after falling in love at first sight - so I was happy to go with this scenario.
And Sherry (Amber Midthunder) is the kind of charismatic beauty who would be easy to fall for, very quickly persuading Nate (Jack Quaid) to eat pie for the first time - there is a risk he will bite off his tongue - as the two effortlessly fall for each other.
But, of course, this is billed as a dark-comedy action thriller, so things aren’t going to run smoothly. When Sherry is kidnapped during a raid on the bank where the two work, Nate turns his rare condition into an unexpected advantage in the fight to rescue her.
That’s when the action - and the comedy - really begins, as Nate tracks down those responsible for the robbery and kidnapping. There are some laugh-out-loud moments as he suffers the kind of beatings, injuries and even torture that would reduce a normal man to tears.
There’s also a welcome appearance from Jacob Batalon, who most of us know as Ned from Spider-Man and other Marvel films. Yes, he is in danger of being typecast as he basically reprises his old role, but he’s very funny, too and is a welcome addition.
As we race towards the film’s finale, there’s a blindsiding plot twist which leads to a great ending. Quaid is reportedly interested in a sequel - I don’t know if Nate’s one-trick-pony superhero skills would work again, but as a one-off, this is a cracking watch.
Rating: 8/10
By Jeremy Ransome
