Even if you must watch it peeking through your fingers, I highly recommend watching Novocaine with a Paramount+ subscription. Jack Quaid's big action movie was loved by critics and audiences alike, so I wasn't too surprised that I enjoyed it as well when I recently saw it. That said, after watching, I think there's one way the movie could've been just a bit better, and the more I think about it, the more upset I get that it didn't happen.
In case it needs to be said, I'm going to get into some pretty major spoilers for Novocaine. No, I'm not going to focus on the brutally violent scenes that even made Quaid cringe during shooting, but I do want to focus on one painful moment of the movie. It's a painful moment that I think would've hit a lot harder, had the audience not been in on Sherry's betrayal before Nathan.
Novocaine Should've Saved The Reveal Of Sherry Working With The Robbers Until The End
The bulk of Novocaine is Jack Quaid's Nathan saving his co-worker Sherry after she's taken hostage by a bunch of bank robbers at their job. He's committed to saving her not just because it's the right thing to do, but because he's smitten by her after a night on the town that made the risk assessment manager take a few risks in a way he had never previously.
Of course, we learn at about the movie's midpoint that the kidnapper was Sherry's brother, and she took the job at the bank specifically to help them obtain the code to the bank safe. This included openly targeting Nathan, suggesting that his magical evening was all orchestrated so that she could get the bank code from him.
It's a devastating twist, and sadly, one that I think arrives too early in Novocaine. I think that it steps on the story, as we spend a vast majority of the movie watching Nathan power through numerous enemies by weaponizing his ability not to feel pain all for a girl who may not have felt anything for him after all. It made it hard for me to stay invested in the action happening on screen because I knew he was in for a rude awakening when he finally arrived to save the day. It was a distraction, for sure, and I can't help but wish that, after watching, I wouldn't have found out until closer to the end.
Finding The Twist Out Before Nathan Knew Made The Scene Where He Found Out Less Impactful
By the time we reached the big scene where Nathan learns about Sherry's betrayal in Novocaine, it was hard for me to muster up as much emotion as the hero. It's frustrating because when it comes to the best action movies, for ultimate immersion, I want to feel the same things emotionally as the hero does. So when we hit that big scene and he's in shock by the big reveal, it hurt for me to feel like nothing while watching it happen.
I would also say that I'm less used to watching action movies in which the audience knows more than the hero at the moment. Dropping such a big part of the story made it clear to me that I was a viewer witnessing events, and I couldn't view the movie solely through the lens of Nathan. I think this is, ultimately, what kept a great film from becoming an all-timer classic in the action genre, and possibly why CinemaBlend's review of Novocaine was more middling than the rest of the pack.
I can concede that this may be a case where my expectations for what a good action movie should be got in the way of my just accepting a movie for what it is. The last thing I want to do is bash a movie over the head for doing something that it never intended to do, and in fairness, I'm not sure how the movie plays out if we don't learn that Sherry's brother is behind the robbery. My simple conclusion is that it would be a completely different movie entirely, so while I think letting the audience in on the secret early wasn't the best decision, I agree that there was probably no other way to keep the movie mostly the same outside of that one detail.
Complaints Aside, Novocaine Is Still A Must-Watch Movie
I don't want any reader to take my nitpick about Novocaine as me saying this isn't a movie that's worth watching. It's a strong outing for Jack Quaid and a strong show of how much he brings to the table as a leading man, whether it be in movies or television. His star is on the rise in Hollywood, and I think this movie will be the first of many with him as the lead.
I Just Watched My First Movie In 4DX, And As A Theme Park Fan, I'm Angry I Didn't Do This Sooner
My only other nitpick with Novocaine is that it feels like the movie ends without any chance of us getting a sequel. Nathan and Sherry are dating while she's in prison, and it doesn't seem like he's interested in leaving his humdrum life after having the adventure of a lifetime. It's a shame because I'd certainly be down for this to become a franchise.
That said, Quaid told ScreenRant he'd be down for a sequel if it were to become a thing. I'm not exactly sure how it would happen, but perhaps without some big secret to hide from Nathan, a sequel would benefit from having the freedom to be a simple action film that relies on watching the hero suffer a wild amount of pain. I would love to see what gross stuff a sequel could cook up, but we'll just have to wait and see if it happens.
As previously mentioned, Novocaine is available to stream on Paramount+. Those who are looking for a rewatch or to experience it for the first time should totally do so, though I do hope you didn't read this entire article just to have me spoil one of the larger plot points of the movie.
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