Reptile (2023, Dir. Grant Singer)
Synopsis:
Realtor Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz) is found brutally murdered in a house she was trying to sell, by her boyfriend Will Grady (Justin Timberlake). Despite Grady initially being the prime suspect, as the investigation led by Detective Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro) continues, it becomes clear that both Summer and her murder have more to them, than it first appears. Nichols discovers more about the case it threatens to put himself, his marriage and even his job on the line.
I had no knowledge of this film whatsoever until I found it on Netflix and was intrigued by the trailer and the presence of Benicio Del Toro, who I’ve loved as an actor ever since I saw him in Usual Suspects and who always manages to be fascinating and compelling, no matter what film he’s in. I was also struck by the film’s overriding sense of strangeness, apparent even in the trailer, which reminds me a little of David Lynch’s work. This is a film that sets you on edge, almost from the first frame, though you can’t necessarily put your finger on why exactly that is.
Part of it is obviously due to director Grant Singer’s incredibly assured use of framing in a scene, whether it’s a close up or a master shot, combined with cinematographer Michael Gioulakis’ lighting and color palette choices – which, to me, show the influence not just of Lynch but also David Fincher, Michael Mann and Stanley Kubrick. Like both Lynch and Fincher there’s also incredible detail included in the soundtrack from the opening use of “Angel Of The Morning” which is slowly warped until it almost becomes unrecognizable, to the score itself by Yair Elazar Glotman, featuring contributions from Arca, which aides the eerie atmosphere throughout the film.
It’s a film of small details and red herrings. Is the cut on Del Toro’s character’s hand, at the beginning of the film, significant or not? Are we meant to read more into the trouble he had with his previous partner than we do? Is his wife really on the verge of an affair? How much of what we the audience see is filtered through the story the characters tell each other? All of this is layered on top of the story of a murder where both the victim, the potential suspects and even the crime itself are more complex than they first appear. It’s a film where the violence can shockingly come out of nowhere, but also paradoxically where certain horrible moments happen off-screen leading you to wonder about what actually happened. It is a film that invites you to be as skeptical as the main protagonist, constantly questioning yourself about whether what is being shown is important or not – a rare feat from any thriller.
The film is helped by an entire ensemble of great performances. Obviously Del Toro in the lead is as incredible as you would expect him to be, but as he also had a hand in the screenplay this role provides him with a rare opportunity to really show his greatness as an actor, creating a character full of contradictions and details – the clip on earring, the love of line dancing, the incredible world-weary sadness – there’s a sense, as you watch the film, that you’re getting fragments of a life which has not gone quite to plan. Equally, even though she has less to do (in terms of the story) Alicia Silverstone’s performance here as Nichols’ wife is quietly revolutionary as well, firmly shedding any residual memories of her earlier comedy roles in her twenties. This is by far the best performance I’ve see her give in a long while and it would be nice if this opened up the opportunity for her to do more roles like this one. Justin Timberlake gives a great performance as well, as the victim’s boyfriend, cleverly trading on his squeaky clean pop star image to keep you guessing as to whether he’s as innocent as he says he is. To me this is definitely as good as his work in The Social Network and In Time and proves that like perhaps Art Garfunkel in Nic Roeg’s Bad Timing, he’s serious about the roles he takes on and has a great more talent as an actor than many give him credit for.
Amongst the rest of the cast, Ato Essendoh (Elementary) as Del Toro’s partner, Eric Bogosian (Talk Radio) as his captain, Michael Pitt as the slightly disturbed suspect Eli Phillips and Francis Fisher (Unforgiven, Titanic) as Justin Timberlake’s manipulative mother, all give stand out performances but this is a film where even those in relatively minor roles are all superb.
Despite the film doing well on its Netflix release, it garnered quite mixed reviews. Critics praised the performances but complained about the “convoluted and underwhelming story”. This is slightly unfair. Yes, the story is convoluted in the same way that Chinatown or L.A. Confidential are “convoluted” – it doesn’t spell everything out and does respect the viewer’s intelligence. It’s only “underwhelming” if you’re expecting something closer to a standard thriller, rather than a slow burn and, at times, spooky police procedural. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing whatever director Grant Singer does next, because on the basis of this debut we can expect great things indeed.
