Reptile

A surprising gem from Netflix. A gritty crime drama with an outstanding Benicio in the lead. For a debut, it's an impressive effort. The chilling atmosphere feels straight out of a David Fincher film, and while it drags a bit in the middle, the finale is grounded and absolutely fantastic. (10/06/2023)

Perfect craftsmanship. A mix of intricate crime drama like Mystic River and gloomy atmosphere in the style of the recent The Little Things with Denzel Washington, but with a much more interesting script and a fantastic cast. The experience isn't in the twist or the story's outcome, which is predictable and there’s no really big surprise in store. The key is the style of the storytelling, the direction and the work of the editor, who has a great sense of composition and masterfully mixes some of the sound and image structures into unique units. For what is essentially a directorial debut, hats off. (10/14/2023)

To stir things up in Hollywood's more conservative landscape with such a refreshing crime drama, I have to commend Grant Singer (and then you realize it’s his directorial debut... truly impressive). Reptile falls into the category of classic, almost old-fashioned detective stories. Consider that a compliment. The film moves at a slower pace, which might not suit everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I appreciated the flawless audiovisual aspects (the relatively unknown Glotman made a strong impression with his music). I enjoyed the interesting camera work ideas. And most of all, I enjoyed Benicio Del Toro’s one-man show. Such a charismatic actor is rare these days. But the rest of the cast also delivered, especially Michael Pitt with his “peculiar character.” The second half was quite surprising. Then the filmmakers served us the ending, which hit hard (yes, it could be guessed a bit earlier than what is ideal, but oh well). *Knockin' on Heaven's Door* as the closing song was fitting... I’m giving it a solid 8/10. P.S. After a second viewing, I’m raising my rating. I really haven’t seen a better detective film in a long time. A well-deserved 9/10. (10/02/2023)

The first half is a fine Scandinavian-style crime drama, including a sadistic murder, the chilly autumn weather and muted colours. And with one fantastic actor who I totally, totally love. Benicio Del Toro is walking charisma, he gets better the older he gets, and you can't take your eyes off his spare acting. The film loses its footing for a bit in the middle, and then it starts to get tangled and convoluted, and I'm not saying it's not good, but they lay their cards on the table too soon and lose the element of surprise. It's just not one step ahead of the viewer like a crime drama like this needs to be, and that's a shame. But for my beloved Bull, I'll give it 4*. P.S. Also excellent are the psychotic Michael Pitt and Justin Timberlake, with his vacant shark-eyed stare. (09/29/2023)

A dark neo-noir crime drama from Netflix and the evil Benicio Del Toro! This is what a double win should look like. An unknown outsider makes one of the crime dramas of the year and straight to Netflix, which was in acute need of a better film already (fall at Netflix is always more packed than the rest of the year). Reptile is an intimate, old-school, atmospheric and dark crime drama where seasoned detective Benicio Del Toro investigates the murder of a real estate agent (the guy almost never leaves the frame). Everyone knows that slow movies and I don't get along, but sometimes a miracle happens and I can enjoy a movie of this cut and that's what Reptile is. The film won me over from the opening and kept my attention throughout – this is very important in a film where not much happens. It's great that most of the time they actually investigate and do some honest crime work (I was worried that they were going to deal with family issues and that there would be uninteresting plot diversions, as is the habit with other crime films, but thankfully that doesn't happen here), everything is built on great actors, great atmosphere and an uncomfortable stuffiness in the air. Among the supporting cast, Justin Timberlake and Michael PItt stand out. I was also intrigued that a classic whodunit about a manhunt for a killer, morphs into something bigger, more complex and unexpected in the second half. I have to say that the twist worked for me and was a pleasant shock. Good film. 8/10. (10/02/2023)