Nathan Caine, a socially awkward bank manager, suffers from a rare condition in which he’s unable to feel pain. Falling in love with one of his employees, he must spring into action and take matters into his own hands when she’s kidnapped by bank robbers, prompting the meek man into dangerous and uncharted territory. But is their more to their scheme than meets the eye?
It seems like it’s getting increasingly hard for Hollywood studios to come up with fully original productions these days, but the trailers for NOVOCAINE certainly had me optimistic and amused. Action-thriller films are dime a dozen, but fish-out-of-water stories are always entertaining. This sounded like it could be the perfect mash-up of elements. And if you’re feeling fatigue from all the mediocre, repetitive, overdone films out there, a dose of NOVOCAINE might be just what you need to make that pain go away.
Where NOVOCAINE shines brightest is its leading man, played by Jack Quaid. Here we have a man with a condition that’s dominated his life, leaving people labeling him as eccentric, and prompting him into a social exile of sorts. Falling in love with a co-worker completely changes his outlook, and it’s not long before he’s out for revenge against those who wronged him. “Quirky” and “Ultraviolent” are rarely words I’d used to describe the same film, but thanks to Quaid’s performance and chemistry with everyone in the film, hero and villain alike, it walks that line nicely. The film is as violent as it is hilarious, yet it somehow still manages to have a heart. That’s too rare these days.
The supporting cast fares just as well, including Amber Midthunder as Mr. Caine’s love interest turned hostage, and an underused Jacob Batalon as one of Caine’s online gamer friends thrust into the series of events that unfold, only to perhaps not be all that he seems (is anyone online ever honest about themselves?) Also underused as a pair of bickering police officers, who could easily have been the stars of their own movie. It’s not often elements fall into place like this, but NOVOCAINE works.
The film holds nothing back and is all the better as a result. This is a very violent film that easily earns its R rating; its action scenes are some of the most violent I’ve seen in a film in recent memory. Putting someone who can feel no pain into these situations makes for something as laugh-out-loud funny as it is gory. The combination of elements had a smile on my face the whole time. Being a critic, I find myself subjected to all kinds of films. The good, the bad, and everything in between. During the time I was watching NOVOCAINE, I was immersed, entertained, and amused by its innovative action sequences and humor. It’s one of the best times I’ve had at the movies in 2025 so far.
That said, the film isn’t quite perfect. At 110 minutes (including credits) the film is simply too long for this premise. I love the action sequences, but the movie has too many of them, and the final one is unnecessarily dragged out by the infamous “villain that won’t stay dead” trope we’ve seen (pardon the silly choice of words) done to death in the movies. 15 minutes of editing could’ve given audiences a more streamlined experience that doesn’t run out of momentum.
NOVOCAINE is the cure for mediocre movies. Is it a bit too long and over the top at times? Absolutely, but the mix of quirkiness and violence somehow works, largely thanks to a fantastic performance from leading man Jack Quaid. Very highly recommended, but not for the squeamish!