Verdict: 3.5/5
Jack Quaid produces a spectacular performance in this hit action/ thriller.
‘Novocaine No Pain’ is a darkly comedic tale of main character Nate (Quaid) going to unspeakable lengths to rescue the woman of his dreams from kidnappers as a result of a bank robbery.
This leads him into situations most of us would cringe to think about, with Nate being subject to gunshot wounds, being stabbed through the leg with an arrow, having his fingers cut off with pliers, and much more, making the audience gasp and wince at every turn. The twist? Nate can’t feel a thing, but the audience can imagine every blow. The twists keep coming throughout the film, leaving audiences shocked the entire time.
I’m not usually one for overzealous action movies, but I found Nate to be a quirky and likeable character and can’t praise Jack Quaid’s performance enough. The supporting cast was excellent also, with Jacob Batalon (well-known for playing Ned Leeds in Spiderman and Avengers films) making a surprise appearance as Nate’s online best friend Roscoe, and Amber Midthunder portraying Nate’s love interest Sherry, who is not who she seems.
The lack of pain Nate can feel is made increasingly apparent – like we could forget- as the fight scenes are long and drawn out, assumingly in order to milk every second of on-screen brutality possible. The audience gets a front row seat to every glass-in-the-eye or finger-in-the-bullet-hole scene, which is both grotesque and awesome.
However, this leaves much to be desired in terms of the script. It’s not to be completely dismissed, but it seems the action scenes are the bread and butter of this story, leaving the script to fall short in comparison. Despite this, the unfolding love story between Nate and Sherry sucks you in from their first scene together; the chemistry palpable.
‘Novocaine No Pain’ is a classic action flick, perfect for seeing with friends (and copious amounts of popcorn for those extra tense scenes). It’s a fun, vibrant film with a hint of mystery, and twists to keep you gasping until the very end.
See this movie at Hoyts Penrith.
