‘Novocaine’ packs a punch

Since their inception, action movies have been the subject of a polarizing debate. Cinephiles hate them and argue that they’ve ruined cinema. Casual movie fanatics and sarcastic dads across the globe believe they’re the best films ever created. While there’s definitely an argument to be made against the cliche, overdone blockbuster action movie, the genre has produced more than a few gems in the last few decades. And while “Novocaine” won’t be remembered among hits like  “John Wick” and “Mission: Impossible,” it deserves its time in the limelight.

“Novocaine” follows Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid), an assistant manager of a financial institution with a genetic disorder that makes him unable to feel physical pain. It’s the kind of gimmick that could be exhausting and flat — think the endless bee jokes in “The Beekeeper” — but writer Lars Jacobson and directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen make it work. Caine’s condition actually feels real: He’s scared to eat solid food in case he unknowingly bites his tongue off, he has to set an alarm to remind him to go to the bathroom so his bladder doesn’t burst and, on a more fun note, drinks a shot of hot sauce with ease. But when bank robbers seemingly take his new love interest hostage, he puts his condition — abilities, perhaps — to good use, setting off to find her and get revenge.

It’s tempting to say the film is a battle of the nepo babies  — Quaid is the son of stars Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, while Ray Nicholson, who plays the film’s central villain, is the son of Jack Nicholson — but the title doesn’t do either of these actors justice. Quaid is just as talented as he’s always been, and Nicholson, though only at the beginning of his career, shines as an unhinged and violent bringer of chaos. 

But it is the writing and directing, not the acting, that distinguishes “Novocaine” from the pack. This film takes a real disorder, congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis, and displays it with some accuracy given the fictional, exaggerated circumstances. And instead of losing the commitment to this condition, the writer and directors take it as far as it can go. 

Because of Caine’s unlimited pain tolerance, the sheer level of gore in this film is ridiculously high. If you get queasy at the sight of blood, you won’t even make it through the first act. But in many action movies, it’s easy to wonder if the hero could actually survive the endless punches. They always walk away largely unscathed, emerging only slightly tired with a broken nose. Caine is not that kind of hero, and “Novocaine” is infinitely more enjoyable for it. He breaks nearly every bone in his body and does the same to almost every villain he faces. The fights are incredibly well choreographed — so much so that it’s hard to turn away even during the most gruesome scenes.

As far as action movies go, “Novocaine” is both simple and innovative. Like all the best heroes, Nathan Caine is really just a man, but a bit of drive and a twist of fate makes him perfect for this story. On top of that, “Novocaine” is simply just funny. In a genre with some pretty terrible writing and boring plots, the film’s humor alone makes it worth the watch.