His name is Nathan Caine. He can’t feel pain. His nickname is Novocaine. Sounds like the premise for a great action movie, huh?
Novocaine stars Jack Quaid (Companion) as the aforementioned Nate Caine, who works as a mild-mannered assistant bank manager. But he does have a medical condition that prevents him from feeling pain, so, as one of his tellers named Sherry (Amber Midthunder from Prey) says, he’s a “superhero.” Nate is sweet on Sherry, so when a botched robbery at the bank results in her being taken hostage, he decides to go after her himself.
Now, despite what the premise sounds like, Novocaine is not a typical action movie. Well, it is, but the fact that Nate is not a burly, muscled-up goon means that, yeah, he’s a little more relatable than, say, a Jason Statham or a Dwayne Johnson. And the no-pain thing more than makes up for any muscular shortcomings that Nate may have.
The screenplay for Novocaine was written by Lars Jacobson (Day of the Dead: Bloodline), and for the most part, it follows the formula. There’s the reluctant hero, the heist gone bad, the double cross, and the revenge motif. It’s pretty much all there. The only thing that makes Novocaine fresh at all is Nate’s condition (which is a real condition called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain and Anhidrosis). This provides more humor than action, as most of Nate’s enemies don’t realize that they’re never going to hurt him, no matter how hard or how much they beat him. There’s even a hysterical scene where Nate is being tortured and he’s pretending to feel the pain in order to buy himself time. Of course, he’s trying to act, but has no experience feeling real pain.
But that’s the extent of the fun of Novocaine. It seems like it would be the kind of movie that was directed by stunt people, like the John Wick or Deadpool movies, but alas, that isn’t the case, as it was helmed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, the duo behind Villains and Significant Other. So, while it is a serviceable action movie, and it definitely has its comedic moments, overall, it lacks the ridiculous fun of, say, The Beekeeper. The fun is in the subtleties and not in the broad strokes. There are periodic chuckles amongst the audience instead of a constant grin.
The biggest strength of the film is Jack Quaid. His charisma and charm carry the film. His surprising ability to do action, even if it’s mostly just taking a beating, is a massive plus. His Nate is likable and relatable, so the audience does root for him, especially because the villains in Novocaine are very unlikable. Which, again, is just part of the formula that the movie follows to a T.
Another aspect of Novocaine that deserves a shout-out is the special effects makeup. Of course, since the narrative puts Nate through dozens of wounding, maiming, and torturous scenarios, he takes a licking. Arrows stick into legs, knives go through hands, and spiked balls swoop into backs. And all this happens with the childish glee of a slasher movie. Blood flows freely, as do other bodily fluids. Novocaine is a gorefest.
For what it is, Novocaine is fine. The clever premise defines its main character more than it defines the movie itself. It falls apart a bit in the third act and regresses into stereotypical action tropes, as if the clever premise isn’t quite enough to sustain a full movie. But it’s got enough comedy to keep it interesting, and there are only so many ways for guys to punch each other. So, yeah. It’s fine.
GRADE: B-
MPA Rating: R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, and grisly images
Running Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Release Date: March 14, 2025
Studio: Paramount Pictures
This post was last modified on March 13, 2025 1:23 pm