Reptile on Netflix: How much is this true-detective thriller worth? Our review of the movie with Benicio del Toro

What is it about?

After the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, a hardened detective tries to unravel a seemingly bogus case and loses his own illusions.

Reptile, written by Grant Singer, Benjamin Brewer and Benicio del Toro, directed by Grant Singer with Benicio del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone…

who is he with

For his first feature film, Grant Singer – director of music videos for The Weeknd, Ariana Grande, Lorde and Sam Smith – has a five-star cast. He entrusts the role of investigator Tom Nichols to Benecio del Toro, who also participated in writing the script. The latter finds Alicia Silverstone, who plays his wife Judy, 26 years after their excess baggage collaboration.

In front of them, Justin Timberlake plays Will Grady, the friend of the victim. But we also meet Michael Pitt (restricted to playing indistinct types), Carl Glusman, and singer and actress Skye Ferreira.

Is it worth checking out?

A true atmospheric thriller – seriously takes True Detective – Reptile exudes an unsettling and haunting style, aiming to grip the viewer, the better to ensnare and make them uncomfortable. The whole point of the film is to explore the human psyche and find out how “good people” manage to create a gray area in their morality to escape the guilt of committing a crime.

The story tells about Tom Nichols, a once famous Philadelphia detective, who takes a new job in a small southern town. It was his wife, Judy, who got him the job through her uncle Robert Allen (Eric Bogosian) after the East Coast scandal forced them to elope. This decision pays off when Nichols is assigned to investigate the brutal murder of a local real estate agent.

Her name was Summer (Matilda Lutz) and although she was still married but separated, she was dating a wealthy real estate mogul, Will Grady. It was he who found her body with a knife wound in the house, which was being prepared for the market. He was stabbed so badly that the knife entered his pelvis.

But Nichols is not alone in this. He investigates in a duo with his teammate Dan Clary (Ato Essandoh). But the case involves another colleague, Wally (Dominic Lombardozzi), who has other activities outside the police force, and Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt), who has a grudge against the Grady family.

familiar aesthetics

On his way to stardom, Grant Singer didn’t choose the easiest genre for his transformation as a feature director. Even if we guess that he has not yet found his own style by borrowing a lot from other great directors (primarily David Fincher, but also David Lynch and even Hitchcock), he manages to create tension with simple stairs or a dark silhouette. catching its prey. His art of symmetry, minimalistic and subtle, enhances the sinister nature that surrounds the characters.

The title of the film refers to the cold nature of humans. In the first minutes, Sameer discovers the skin of the snake after falling. A metaphor then for how some people can get away with it and reveal their cruel nature.

But the film is especially worth it for Benicio del Toro’s flawless performance. There he also made his debut as a co-author. This is obvious and makes perfect sense as Tom Nichols’ character plays to Benicio Del Toro’s greatest strengths as an actor. Which leads to perhaps his most convincing performance since Sicario.

It’s clear that he has all the tools to convey the dark and sinister nature of his character, but he’s also incredibly good at some of the film’s darkly humorous moments. It is in this role that we like to see him.