My quick rating – 6.8/10. In Novocaine, directors Dan Berk & Robert Olsen deliver a satisfyingly twisted genre cocktail with equal parts action, dark comedy, and body horror-lite. Anchored by a surprisingly earnest performance from Jack Quaid, this film leans into the absurdity of its premise with confidence and style.
The story follows Nate, a charmingly average guy with one very specific quirk: he cannot feel pain. It’s a rare neurological condition that has rendered him physically impervious to suffering—at least, on the surface. When his dream girl, Sherry (played with a believable wide-eyed sweetness by Amber Midthunder), is abruptly kidnapped, Nate is thrown into a violent, unpredictable underworld, where his condition becomes both his biggest weapon and a deeply unnerving liability.
Yes, the “guy goes on a chaotic rampage for the girl of his dreams” trope is here in full force—following hot on the heels of Renner, which played with similar ideas. And yes, the damsel dynamic is growing a little tired. But Novocaine distinguishes itself by leaning hard into its offbeat tone. It’s aware of the cliché, and it toys with it enough to keep things from feeling stale. And always a welcome addition for comedic relief is his online gaming buddy, Roscoe, played by Jacob Batalon.
Lars Jacobson’s script plays cleverly with Nate’s condition, particularly in the action scenes. There’s no gory splatterfest here, but the violence has a visceral impact—think bruised bones, burned flesh, and self-surgery scenarios that will make your stomach knot. It’s not graphic in the traditional sense, but it hits hard thanks to smart camera work and Quaid’s physical performance. Although that thumb scene…well, you’ll see. The film finds a unique niche between cringeworthy injury and deadpan humor, and it thrives there.
What really sells it is the pacing. This movie moves. There’s no time for emotional wallowing or needless exposition—every beat pushes Nate deeper into a world that’s more cartoonishly brutal than realistic. There are twists, of course, and most of them are deliberately ridiculous—bordering on parody—but that’s part of the appeal. You don’t watch Novocaine expecting logic. You watch it to see how far Nate will go, what weird weapon he’ll improvise next, and how many times he can fall down a flight of stairs before even he starts to wonder if he should stop.
Production-wise, the film is clean and focused. The action choreography feels tight, and the editing is sharp, helping the comedy land without undercutting the intensity. The scenes are thoughtfully constructed—even the more outrageous moments have a strange precision to them.
Jack Quaid proves he’s got leading-man chops, especially for roles that ask for physicality and charm with a dash of madness. His performance grounds the story just enough to make it emotionally engaging, even when the script veers into the bizarre.
Novocaine isn’t trying to be a masterpiece of psychological depth. It’s a wild, occasionally painful ride that blends absurdity with action in an entertaining and surprisingly effective way. It knows what it is, and it doesn’t flinch, literally or figuratively.
Still a hot movie, so theater pricing is available on Amazon along with these streamers.