They say that good things happen to those who wait, and in the case of the movie "Reptile" that premiered this weekend, this saying holds true if you've waited a long time for a good movie to fall asleep in.
Read between the lies. Reptile starring Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, and Alicia Silverstone is now streaming. pic.twitter.com/Zxv5hWNVpW
— Netflix (@netflix) September 29, 2023
Netflix couldn't have given the film a more apt title. As its name implies: moving slowly on its belly, shedding tiring writing, soulless staging and acting that manages to atrophy the abilities of Benicio del Toro, who also wrote the screenplay.
Like a common snake, it finds itself entering dark places around a mysterious murder in a typical American town, but you'll likely find yourself crawling into spoon mode before the work (which is more than two hours long) is complete.
Promising Trailer, Less Result, Photo: Movie Trailer, Netflix
The plot of the film, which focuses on the murder of the wife of a real estate developer (Justin Timberlake), involves real estate professionals, fresh exes, an extensive drug trafficking network, and a veteran cop (del Toro) who takes it upon himself to solve the mystery and prevent vested interests from closing the case too soon.
The policeman, who has known more alert days, discovers new things about his personal relationship with his wife (the surprising Alicia Silverstone) as part of the effort.
As a screenwriter, del Toro typed a plausible psychological thriller with a puzzle plot that does manage to somehow travel between twists, but the on-screen result isn't interesting enough. The film manages to transfer suspicion from one character to another, but it fails to convince the viewer that it is worth staying to find out who it was at the end - and this is already a problem regarding directing.
Type a reasonable psychological thriller. Screenwriter del Toro, photo: AFP
This is the debut film of music video director Grant Singer, whose cool aesthetics can be appreciated from the very first scene. On the other hand, the clippy treatment struggles to bring the story to life, and in large parts of the film – including the murdered body – you will find more soul than in the final result.
The bottom line is that Netflix once again presents a promising trailer, packed with stars and full of potential, but in this case you have to call a snake catcher to come and get the reptile – or us – out of the house.
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