#REVIEW: “NOVOCAINE”

By Mr. Will Wong

Dan Berk and Robert Olsen team-up to co-direct the action-packed NOVOCAINE. This 110 minute thrill ride a mashup of Comedy, Action and bloody gore, led by a charismatic leading man in Jack Quaid.

Meet Nathan Caine (Quaid), an assistant Bank Manager who quietly enjoys gaming and reading. His world changes when he meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a Teller at the bank he works and being complete opposites they fall for one another.  Nathan has a rare condition called CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to Pain) meaning that he is tolerant to discomfort and pain, which gets put through every test possible after Sherry is abducted in a bank heist leading him to take matters into his own hands.

NOVOCAINE reads as a lot of funny and wild ideas, strung together with some sharply-choreographed bloody and brutal action sequences. Some ideas land better than others, but it doesn’t really matter because the pacing is so quick. Quaid carries the weight of the Film entirely on his own taking Nathan out of his introverted shell, propelled by the power of love to become the superhero he never knew he could be after years of bullying and being held back by his condition. This however, comes at cost of the story being so focused on Nathan‘s journey, the supporting characters feel one-dimensional and more as afterthoughts.

Quaid is really having a moment with this and a critical and commercial success with this year’s COMPANION and this solidifies his place as a bona fide movie star, even though it still feels he’s on the cusp of something. He balances Nathan’s clumsy greenness and naive soul, with all the rigorous stunts and fighting, making it look effortless. One of the Film’s biggest surprises is Ray Nicholson (son of legendary Jack), who plays Nathan’s most vicious opponent, Simon, fighting tooth and nail to the finish to get the rewards of this heist, but even he’s only given so much to work with beneath the heavy physical demands of the role.

Paramount Pictures Canada release NOVOCAINE Friday, March 14, 2025.