Reptile movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Reptile

This dramatic, whodunnit thriller is now playing on Netflix.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 14 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: A-

IN A NUTSHELL:

The story is about Tom Nichols, a hardened New England detective in pursuit of a case where nothing is as it seems. It begins to dismantle the illusions in his life.

This is the directorial debut of Grant Singer. He also wrote it with Benicio Del Toro and Benjamin Brewer. Benicio Del Toro also stars in it with Justin Timberlake, among others in the great cast.

THINGS I LIKED:

Others in the cast you’ll love seeing are Alicia Silverstone, Frances Fisher, Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardo, and Ato Essandoh.
We all know Justin Timberlake has some serious pipes, but he also does a fantastic job in all of his acting roles. Fun fact: he’s wearing brown contact lenses in this role.
Benicio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone dated in real life for about a year. They also appeared together as love interests in the movie Excess Baggage in 1997. Unlike most detective movies, they actually have a good married in this movie.
Pay attention to all of the clues. They’re hidden cleverly.
There is some subtle humor to make the characters endearing.
I love twists and turns. There are plenty of red herrings that will try to divert your attention to the wrong suspects, of course.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Like a snake, Act 1 moves very slowly, but then, things really pick up and hit you over the head.
It’s really much longer than it needs to be.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be bored. It’s not appropriate for them anyway
Profanity, including F-bombs
An unmarried couple lives together, even though the woman is already married.
Talk of a brutal murder, and portrayal of murder.
We see some blood on parts of a dead body and on other bodies, as well as blood splatters.
Talk of a hooker
Lots of alcohol

THEMES:

Solving a murder
Detective work
Marriage and relationships
Real Estate
Greed
Cops
Trust
Respect
Honor
Reputation

FUNNY LINES:

“I love this kitchen!” – Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro)
“By the way, why does Wally call you Oklahoma?” – Dan Clearly (Ato Essandoh) “Because I can cut a rug, Baby.” – Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro)

INTERESTING LINES:

“So, how’s Mr. Detective Cleary doing?” – Wally “Well, aside from never wearing a tie, he’s doing pretty good.” – Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro) “Good. Because I taught him everything he knows. Not everything I know. Everything he knows.” – Wally
“That’s a bite.” – Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro) “It was the dentals that got Ted Bundy.” – Judy Nichols (Alicia Silverstone)