Reptile (2023) is a sleek murder mystery with plenty of intrigue coated with outstanding performances from Benicio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone. Director Grant Singer is new to the Hollywood directing scene but this foray into movie making is steeped with style. Reptile has plenty of depth to it, and the story that Singer, Benjamin Brewer and Toro weave has plenty of twists. By the end of the movie, the audience feels like it’s been constricted by the deceitfulness of Reptile’s characters, and that makes for a deliciously untrustworthy viewing experience.
“Nichols, a hardened New England detective unflinching in his pursuit of a case where nothing is as it seems, one that begins to dismantle the illusions in his own life.”
Director: Grant Singer Writers: Grant Singer, Benjamin Brewer, Benicio Del Toro Staring: Benicio Del Toro, Justin Timberlake, Eric Bogosian, Alicia Silverstone, Domenick Lombardozzi Release Date: October 6, 2023 IMDB
Reptile (2023) is a sleek murder mystery with plenty of intrigue coated with outstanding performances from Benicio Del Toro and Alicia Silverstone. Director Grant Singer is new to the Hollywood directing scene but this foray into movie making is steeped with style. Reptile has plenty of depth to it, and the story that Singer, Benjamin Brewer and Toro weave has plenty of twists. By the end of the movie, the audience feels like it’s been constricted by the deceitfulness of Reptile’s characters, and that makes for a deliciously untrustworthy viewing experience.
Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro) is a newcomer to a rural main town and finds himself in the middle of a brutal murder case alongside his partner Dan Cleary (Ato Essandoh). Tom is fully introduced to the situation when he interviews Will Grady (Justin Timberlake) about the killing of his girlfriend Summer Elswick (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz). Will is released, yet his presence shall constantly remerge.
Tom is told by Will that Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt) paid a visit to his mother Camille Grady’s house earlier. Eli is a bit of an odd apple and he has a grudge against the Grady family because they forcibly bought Eli’s family farm. Eli is questioned by the authorities and makes no bones about accusing Will of murdering Summer. Eli also illuminates some interesting backstory on Tom, citing how he was aware of a corruption scandal at Tom’s former place of employment in Philadelphia.
Tom and Dan pay a visit to Sam Gifford (Karl Glusman), the still-husband but thought-to-be separated partner of the deceased Summer. Evidence points that Sam and Summer were still seeing each other, but a civil conversation can’t be had because Sam grabs Dan’s gun and begins a shootout which results in Sam being shot and killed by Tom. The slaying is not the only surprise as the day as a search of Sam’s house also results in a stockpile of heroin.
The community thinks that case is wrapped with Sam being Summer’s killer, but Tom doesn’t buy it. His suspicions are made more concrete when Eli pays a visit to Tom’s wife Judy Nichols (Alicia Silverstone). Judy holds the hoodie-donning loner at gunpoint until Tom gets home, and when he pulls up asking for an explanation, Eli hands him a flash drive with some drastic facts that crystalize the mystery Tom was beginning to shine a light on.
Summer, in partnership with Will and the Grady family, was caught up in a scheme to launder drug money and make extensive profits. Properties are planted with drugs which leads to the homes being taken in via civil asset forfeiture. These properties are then bought up for a discount by the Grady family using a shell company called White Fish. These seized properties are then sold for an extensive profit which is shared with participants of the scheme.
This is where it clicks into place for Tom. He summarizes that Summer was killed to stop her from reporting the scheme to the DEA. Tom begins to look into the White FIsh company to see who is deep in the mud of this laundering plot. Dots are connected, illustrating that Tom’s friend and fellow police officer Wally Finn (Domenick Lombardi) and his private security company are connected with the shady White Fish corporation. Tom is now fully bought in on Eli’s theory, but when he returns to his residence, he finds Eli missing. There is an empty industrial size bleach bottle in a sink.
Knowing the truth about the Grady’s, the White Fish company, and Wally’s involvement, Tom had his antennas up when he attended a birthday party for his superior Captain Robert Allen (Eric Bogosian). To make matters a bit more complicated, Robert is also Judy’s uncle and he is suffering from a chronic illness he is keeping secret from others. Tom attempts to educate his elder and extended family members of the scheme he has discovered, but trust is shattered between the two when Tom enters Robert’s garage and sees a recently painted Chrysler Imperial that looks a lot like the vehicle seen on the video tapes outside of the home Summer was murdered in.
Tom returns to his home with Judy and explains what he knows. Tom is adamant that they must leave the area that night, but his escape plan is put on pause when Robert calls and asks Tom to come by the next morning to explain everything. In an effort to gain some ground and good will, Tom shares the flash drive with all the evidence to the police chief Marty Graeber (Mike Pniewski) and brings him along to meet with Robert.
Tensions are high while the three differing levels of badge wearers briefly exchange words. Marty excuses himself to the bathroom, and during a brief respite Robert begs Tom to leave and save his own life. Before Tom can react, Robert is shot dead by Wally who was waiting upstairs. Tom, no in direct harm’s way, comes to the sudden realization that chief Marty is in on the drug-planting money laundering scheme, meaning the corruption goes all the way to the top. Tom shoots and kills Marty and then is able to maim Wally before subduing him.
So in the end, here is how all the respective plot points intersect.
The Grady family runs the realtor company that sells the civil asset forfeitures for massive profit after buying the properties with their sham company White Fish. The drugs that were planted were stolen or reused out of the police evidence locker by Wally, with the knowledge of Marty. Robert became engaged in the scheme because he was in need of money to attend to his illness, though his involvement was in its infant stages compared to the others. Summer knew about the Grady family’s overarching illegal activities, so she had to be handled before she blew the whistle to the proper authorities.
Reptile ends with the FBI arresting Will while he is golfing and Tom shedding a healing wax layer off his hand with the help of his wife, Judy.
So that’s the plot. It is thick, convoluted, but very important to understanding the effectiveness of Reptile as a movie and entertainment vessel. Director and writer Grant Singer is a remarkably young talent in Hollywood, but this murder mystery shows a ton of promise for what he can do in the future.
Reptile is a movie that reminds me of Chinatown (1974). It’s high praise, but don’t scoff. One is not comparing the film as a whole, but the importance of a slippery and untrustworthy vibe can not be understated. The story itself leaves holes for the audience to fill in, but the swiss cheese still tastes delicious. Reptile puts its characters and mood above everything else, and for that its a very dark and unique viewing experience.
The key to stirring the pot of suspicion is Benecio del Toro as Tom Nichols. The silent detective is a man of few words, yet he is constantly thinking and paying attention. There is an air of mystery around Tom, making this POV character as untrustworthy as those he is investigating. Eli planted the story about controversy at this last job, but we don’t know how Tom played into it. Was Tom part of the problem in Philadelphia, or did he snuff out some sort of corruption like he did in Maine? Is this redeployment in the Northeast a punishment or an escape? These are questions were aren’t meant to know the answers to, and it’s a wonderful mystery.
And let’s not ignore the outstanding performance of Alicia SIlverstone. The relationship between Tom and Judy is unique. They share everything and they are rather blunt with the process. Together they are trying to build a new life, and a new home together. It is rather amusing to know that Silverstone and Del Toro dated back in 1996 and 1997 (presumably from their time making Excess Baggage in 1997). In all honesty, one can see some familiarity between the two. There is a weird calmness between the pair that speaks to experience in unspoken communication.
There is a weak link among the strong ensemble acting performance, and it’s rather glaring. Justin Timberlake is acted off the screen with whomever he shares it with. Whether it be the scenes where Will is being coached up by his mother, or the discussions shared with Tom. Timberlake has the body acting of a whimpering attitude down pat, but line delivery is something the A-list celebrity could still work on. Timberlake is not bad enough to divert attention away from the movie, but it’s a noticeable tier drop from the other actors involved.
Then there are the little things that Singer and everyone incorporated into the Reptile. The silly trait that Tom is always looking to buy new things had me giggling to myself. Whether it be the car, or the sink (which has a symbolic value), Tom is always looking to retinker himself and what is around him. The Nichols couple are just two examples of characters who are shedding their old skin and building something new. The Nichols are doing it in both a physical and symbolic sense, but the majority of these characters are living that motif in a figurative sense.
Reptile is a movie that continues to slither around your brain after you watch it. Don’t be afraid to look up explanations on YouTube, or read further articles about the movie. Learn about it, interpret it using your own feelings and assumptions. Some details in Reptile will fly by your mind the first time you watch the movie. There will be things you miss, and that is okay. It’s like Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners (2013) in that way. Sometimes a movie being smarter than the audience is a good thing. It can humble us and remind us that the truly great (or soon to be great in SInger’s case) movie makers are that for a reason.
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