Reptile is a 2023 Netflix original crime thriller that is not bad at all, but it is not great either. I was very excited to check this movie out, I love crime thrillers and it had a stacked cast! With the likes of Benicio del Toro, Alicia Silverstone, and Justin Timberlake, Reptile has a solid ensemble cast that I think deserved a tighter more coherent script than what we got.
How to Download Reptile
Reptile was released on Netflix on September 29, 2023. You can download or stream the film from Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like crime movies, check out our reviews of Black Mass and Killers of the Flower Moon.
The Movie Review
Star Cast Performance in Reptile
Benicio del Toro is the star here, he plays the role of detective Tom Nichols. Tom Nichols is a fantastic detective, he is a real man’s man and has a code of honor to his job, a code that got him in trouble for exposing corruption in the last precinct where he worked. He now works as a detective in a rather sleepy Maine town.
Character Dynamics and Relationships
I am a fan of Benicio del Toro’s work and he is very believable in this role. A huge part of what makes Tom Nichols such a likable character is his relationship with his wife, Judy who is played by Alicia Silverstone. Tom and Judy have a great loving relationship and you can tell that he respects and loves the hell out of her. They have great chemistry and Judy even manages to be pretty badass and smart too!
The Murder Mystery Plot in Reptile
Tom and his partner get a call to head to a house where a murder has happened. Justin Timberlake’s Will Grady is part of a real estate company and has found his girlfriend and fellow realtor, Summer murdered in a house they were showing. I think that Justin Timberlake is a far better actor than people give him credit for. I kept going back and forth if Will was involved with Summer’s death or not!
Unraveling the Crime in Reptile
The case in many ways seems quite simple. Tom finds out about an ex-husband Summer was still seeing as well as a guy that was harassing Will Grady about his father losing his home to Will’s company. The case gets “closed” fairly quickly, but despite being hailed as a hero, Tom does not feel like things are right and that there is more to this.
Critique of Reptile’s Storytelling and Pacing
Being the great detective that he is, Tom is most certainly right! We then go on a ride where we try to figure out what exactly happened, who is involved and just how deep does this thing go! On paper, Reptile sounds awesome and I think that there are some fantastic ideas here. There are characters that are likable and characters that are easy to dislike.
I just feel that some parts of the movie drag on longer than they need to. We get a subplot with Judy and a contractor that Tom is jealous of and I do not think that it added anything to the movie at all. If anything, it makes you kind of like Tom a bit less as he comes across as petty and jealous.
Overall Assessment and Recommendation
Reptile is a movie that I enjoyed, but I would not say that it is one of the greatest crime thrillers I have ever seen. It only lasts just over two hours, but I think you could have easily cut this by about 15 minutes and it may have been better for it. If you are at a loss for something to watch and you like crime movies, you can certainly do a lot worse. I do not know what it was, but there is just something missing here for me that makes it great.
