A meek manager with a rare congenital condition that leaves him unable to feel pain chases down bank robbers to save his girlfriend in Novocaine, which opens in Prague cinemas this weekend after debuting atop the U.S. box office last week. The central story here is strictly by-the-numbers stuff, but some inspired action sequences and an appealing performance from Jack Quaid make this one genuinely fun throughout.
Quaid stars as Nathan Paine, who suffers from a real-life condition that isn’t as beneficial as it might sound. With injuries and illnesses that go unnoticed, the average lifespan for those with congenital insensitivity to pain is drastically reduced. In Novocaine‘s early scenes, directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen illustrate the lengths Nathan goes to in order to keep himself aware — blending every meal to avoid biting his tongue, setting a timer to remind himself to go to the bathroom lest his bladder explode, and covering table corners with tennis balls.
In addition to all that, Nathan is a reserved loner after growing up under the watchful eyes of protective parents. Now in early adulthood, he spends his free time playing MMORPG games with a best friend he’s never met in person (Jacob Batalon) when not at work at a local bank — and he’s never had a girlfriend.
But he hopes to change that when friendly new teller Sherry (Amber Midthunder) catches his eye and even invites him out to lunch for the best slice of cherry pie in town. But after a botched robbery by a gang dressed in Santa costumes led by mad dog Simon (Ray Nicholson) sees Sherry taken hostage — and no police left to track her down — Nathan takes it upon himself to be her knight in shining armor.
Novocaine‘s early scenes between Nathan and Sherry are sweet but simplistic, and seasoned viewers will be two steps ahead of the movie and able to predict exactly where it’s going. But after half an hour, Lars Jacobson’s script turns from treacly romance to high-octane adventure and never looks back — stick with it after a slow-ish opening and you’re in store for some jaw-dropping action violence.
Nathan may not have superhero skills, but he can sacrifice his body without batting an eye. This leads to an escalating series of inspired action scenes that see him stick his hand in a deep fryer to retrieve a gun, pound his fists into broken glass to pack a meaner punch, and (poorly) feign extreme pain while being tortured in an attempt to buy himself some time.
Star Quaid, playing off his meek character from The Boys, makes for an unusually appealing lead who stays good-natured despite all the violence inflicted upon him. Quaid’s lack of reaction makes the extended scenes of violence in Novocaine even more wince-inducing than usual: we know an action hero would shrug this all off, and we develop a relatable appreciation for the collective impact of the injuries suffered by Nathan.
Midthunder has more to do here than the typical damsel in distress, but it’s still a little disappointing to see her never really get in on the action after her compelling protagonist in Prey. As the foaming-at-the-mouth psycho killer, Nicholson echoes father Jack more here than in his other roles and creates a truly menacing baddie that we love to hate.
Directors Berk and Olsen previously made the indie sci-fi thriller Significant Other, which made terrific use of a limited budget that allowed for a minimal cast and single setting. With Novocaine, however, they’ve really upped their game: the extended fight scenes here are especially well-choreographed and pack a mean punch, with top-notch gore effects that really sell the film’s central conceit.
Novocaine could have used some touching up at the script level — the leisurely-paced opening act never hints at the gonzo action that will follow, and the movie’s one story twist is telegraphed far too early — but this one is first-rate from a production standpoint and a real crowd-pleaser. In a sea of self-serious action movies, Novocaine goes down painlessly.
