Action films are tough to pull off when there are so many of them that have the same execution without any originality. Novocaine, however, is completely unique. It may not break any ground, but it does give a freshness to the genre thanks to its premise and our leading man, Jack Quaid.
This mix of rom-com and action comes from the minds of Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, indie co-directors who have come up with a new take on the action hero. Jack Quaid plays the protagonist, Nate Caine, a simple assistant bank manager with a condition that makes him invulnerable to pain.
With this genetic disorder, Nate mostly keeps to himself and doesn’t lead a social life outside of work. That all changes when he falls head over heels for his new co-worker Sherry, played by Amber Midthunder.
Nate’s workplace gets held at gunpoint by a bunch of bank robbers, and they kidnap Sherry when their plan goes wrong. This forces Nate to pursue these goons to save the woman he loves, and he uses his special ability to outmaneuver them.
That sounds easier said than done when one isn’t receptive to feeling pain, but the wild things he endures are what make the film so entertaining.
Novocaine sets itself apart from other action films with its gimmick of having the protagonist be this average guy who just so happens to have a pretty cool superpower. The premise does keep the movie grounded in some ways, but it also does some outrageous things to make it fun for the audience.
What the film does so well is build itself with the characters before the action begins. Audiences are introduced to Nathan as this regular guy who just so happens to have a rare genetic condition that is real and affects his everyday life. We see him avoid things like eating solid foods and constantly reminding himself to use the bathroom using a timer.
Rather than making Nathan a running gag, the film does a good job of making him an emotionally invested character whose only social life is playing video games with his online friend Roscoe (Jacob Batalon). The audience can relate to him as an average person who can’t participate in everyday activities.
We see the growth that Nathan has when he starts an office romance with the new employee named Sherry. Both Quaid and Midthunder have some great chemistry that’s reminiscent of puppy love. These two are what make them the heart of the story holding everything together.
The major highlight of Novocaine is how Caine gets himself into these dangerous situations in the first place. It’s all because he decides to rescue the woman he has fallen in love with.
This is when the movie goes ballistic with its action sequences when we see Nathan going one-on-one with these robbers. It’s often fun to see Nathan throw himself into these life-or-death situations where he barely gets out of harm’s way.
Rather than being just another copy of modern action flicks, Novocaine sells Nathan as a regular guy with no fight training to go against some bad guys through his motivation of saving Sherry.
Most of these fight sequences are pretty clever in using Nathan’s condition to his advantage. He uses the environment to gain the upper hand on his opponents. It keeps things somewhat believable as we see Nathan using bare knuckles to take out these guys.
Other than Quaid, the rest of the cast also helps elevate the film’s convoluted story to keep it funny and wildly entertaining. Batalon has some great comedic moments with Quaid when we see these two on screen. Ray Nicholson sells as the villainous leader of the bank robbers who is more of a jerk without any sympathy towards his comrades.
Even the buddy cop partnership between Betty Gabriel’s Mincy Langston and Matt Walsh’s Coltraine Duffy serves some comedy as they both figure out what makes Nathan do these crazy antics against the thieves.
At the end of the day, this is truly Quaid’s film as he steps it up to be the leading man. It’s great to see him acting in roles where he’s flexing some muscle into a physically demanding action hero.
With both Quaid and Midthunder on screen, they both bring out different layers to their characters. Midthunder doesn’t just play the damsel but also a complicated woman who has some issues to deal with. It is similar to Quaid, who is playing a nice guy who happens to become a hero overnight.
Even if Novocaine comes off as an average action movie, the audience is here for the gory fight scenes. Thanks to directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, the film doesn’t pull any punches. It’s the amount of sheer entertainment and heart that helps make the movie worthy of its time.
The movie isn’t without its faults, though. Not all the jokes land perfectly, and sometimes, the tonal shift starts to feel restrictive towards the last half. Even the pacing can feel off at times when it tries to balance the groundedness and heightened sense of reality when it should just embrace the silliness of its premise.
At the end of the day, Novocaine is a wild ride that brings something fresh to the overcrowded genre of action films. It is pure adrenaline with charm, thanks to Jack Quaid’s performance. It delivers on its premise with a ton of laughs but never forgets the heart of these characters.
Have you had a chance to see Novocaine yet? Let us know your thoughts on the film in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!
Novocaine is currently available in theaters.
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