Hardened New England detective, Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro), begins to work a murder case in a quiet American town. Their victim is Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz), with her boyfriend Will Grady (Justin Timberlake) and her former husband being two of the primary suspects. As the detective digs deeper, however, things become far more complex than he’d ever imagined. A slow detective-based drama that is certainly worthy of watch. Reptile is currently streaming on Netflix.

Director: Grant Singer
Writers: Grant Singer, Benjamin Brewer
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian

Directed by Grant Singer, in his feature-film directorial debut, Reptile features several striking similarities to the real unsolved murder of Canadian real-estate agent, Lindsday Buziak in 2008. This dark, suspenseful thriller takes the viewer on a slow, methodical journey with very few moments of action injected throughout the one-hundred and thirty-four minute runtime. With that being said, there are more than enough twists and turns added to the mix, to prevent things from becoming stale.

The overall atmosphere of the film was that of an old-fashioned crime flick. Most scenes had a bleak and gritty undertone to them, with the visuals being an effective way of creating tension from the first minute until the last. A large majority of the scenes seem to draw intrigue and suspense, with the majority of the intrigue and suspense being filtered into the second half of the flick.

In regard to the script and dialogue on display, both were done extremely well, albeit at times bordering on drawn-out and extensive. Both, however, did contribute heavily to character development and of course, the broader story at hand, fitting in perfectly with the atmosphere and general feel of the movie, with neither seeming out of place for a film of this nature.  

In terms of the cast, Benicio Del Toro starred as the lead man and commanded the bulk of screen presence, while Justin Timberlake led from a supporting role, portraying Will Grady. Elsewhere, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian and Domenick Lombardozzi adopted the roles of Judy Nichols, Robert Allen and Wally, respectively, all key characters that played important roles.

All in all, Reptile may not go down as the finest movie of 2023 but in a rather hit and miss year, it won’t go down as the worst either. This slow-burn detective tale is worthy of a watch, particularly if you’re a fan of television show’s such as True Detective. As previously noted, Reptile is currently streaming on Netflix.

“There’s a case going on… It’s a real nightmare.”

Tom Nichols – Reptile