Novocaine packs a heavy punch of serious entertainment thanks to the perfectly cast and ever charming Jack Quaid in the lead role, taking the absurdity of the film’s premise to the great heights with tons of laughter, heart, and extreme action sequences that will make audiences squirm due to its well earned gore.

 

In a world of cinema where action films are dark, brutally violent and flawlessly choreographed with films like the John Wick series and The Raid films, action films that capture that same brute force to their action sequences but infuse the film with an undeniable fun stand out. Last year we had The Fall Guy, which brought back the action romantic comedy, and coming in hot on its heels is the latest film from directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen: Novocaine. Featuring a hero that cannot feel pain played with an effortless pathetic and nerdy charm by Jack Quaid, continuing his run of great genre films after this year’s Companion, Novocaine barrels along with a fast and furious pace that is never short of great performances, hilarious moments and brutal action that will have viewers wincing in pain from the madness that unfolds on screen.

 

It’s not the first time that we have seen an action film situated around our hero saving the girl of his dreams, and it won’t be the last time either. Tried and proven again and again, it’s a blueprint that sets the ground for action set pieces, excitement and stakes for our main characters. Though, the twist in Novocaine: not only is our hero completely out of his depth going up against criminals with military training, but he can’t feel any of the pain inflicted on him. It’s a fun way to explain away how our hero seems to be invincible after being shot, stabbed, beaten to a pulp, and many other things, because while his body might be on the verge of shutting down, Nate can’t feel it. Lending itself to lean into the absurdity of the situation and deliver lots of great comedic moments throughout, screenwriter Lars Jacobson ensures that the film has the right amount of romantic energy to invest the audience in Nate’s quest to save Sherry from the bank robbers and an insane amount of laughter as Nate finds himself way out of his depth. And this is all before a great twist that will genuinely take viewers by surprises and only helps to up the stakes for the final act. Original in concept, never afraid to mix action with the romantic genre, and a desire to thrill and entertain throughout, Novocaine is going to get lots of mileage out of viewers with countless rewatches as it's the perfect fun action film.

Being a film built around a main character who cannot feel pain trying to save the girl of his dreams, directors Berk and Olsen and screenwriter Jacobson take advantage of this to deliver non-stop, no bar hold action sequences throughout the film. The fight choreography is precise, capturing Nate’s inexperience and bumbling personality and pitting it against deadly individuals who will not hesitate for a second in causing him extreme pain. Mixing physical action with great humour, the action sequences never for a second miss their mark. Delivering wild set pieces that should be causing Nate excruciating pain, viewers can feel every beat that Nate takes and will no doubt squirm in their seats and feel the pain his character should be feeling thanks to the impressive sound design of the film. Quaid, Jay Nicholson and the rest of the cast embody the chaos, excitement and absurdity of these scenes and bring them to life, ensuring there is never a second of them that is not thrilling. And the cherry on top is the cartoonish levels of gore, perfectly matching the tone of the film to ensure that Novocaine is bursting with pure entertainment from start to finish.