Reptile (film)

Last updated

Reptile
Reptile film poster.png
Official release poster
Directed by Grant Singer
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Grant Singer
  • Benjamin Brewer
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Michael Gioulakis
Edited byKevin Hickman
Music by Yair Elazar Glotman
Production
company
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • September 7, 2023 (2023-09-07)(TIFF)
  • September 22, 2023 (2023-09-22)(United States)
  • September 29, 2023 (2023-09-29)(Netflix)
Running time
136 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Reptile is a 2023 American crime thriller film directed by Grant Singer in his feature-film directorial debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Benjamin Brewer and Benicio del Toro, and a story he co-wrote with Brewer. The film stars del Toro in the lead role, alongside Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone, Eric Bogosian, Ato Essandoh, Domenick Lombardozzi, and Michael Pitt.

Contents

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023, and was released in the United States in select theaters on September 22, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on September 29.

Plot

Will Grady finds his girlfriend Summer Elswick brutally murdered in a rural Maine house that they had been showing for sale as realtors. Tom Nichols and his partner Dan Cleary, police detectives assigned to the case, question Will, who reveals he wanted to marry Summer but could not as she was still married to Sam Gifford. Video evidence from nearby security footage shows a dark-colored car with a missing hubcap that Dan identifies as a 1990 Buick LeSabre; later on, Tom's wife Judy correctly identifies the vehicle as a Chrysler Imperial.

After Summer's funeral, Will tells Tom of Eli Phillips, who tried to force himself into his mother's house a few nights earlier. Will explains that when his father ran the family's real estate company, they had forcibly bought Eli's family farm. Eli's father committed suicide, and Eli blames Will's family for it. Questioned by Tom and Dan, Eli accuses Will of murdering Summer. Eli has also been researching Tom himself, briefly discussing a corruption scandal involving Tom's former partner at a Philadelphia precinct.

DNA analysis of semen found inside Summer matches that of Sam. This goes along with a statement from a friend of Summer's that the two of them were still seeing each other to have sex. Tom returns to Sam's with a warrant. Sam grabs Dan's gun and is fatally shot by Tom while attempting to flee. A search of his house finds 13 kilograms of heroin.

The deceased Sam is declared to be Summer's murderer, but Tom is hesitant to consider the case solved. Eli shows up at his house at night and gives him a flash drive with evidence that Summer was caught up in a scheme by the Gradys to launder drug money. Properties are planted with drugs and then commandeered via civil asset forfeiture. The Gradys, operating under a shell company called White Fish, then snap up the properties at a discount. Summer was murdered to stop her from reporting the scheme to the DEA.

Evidence points to police officer Wally Finn being behind White Fish, as he also heads a private security company called Active Duty Consulting that uses the same post office box as White Fish. Will shows up at Eli's house demanding the flash drive back. Another person shows up. Tom later arrives at Eli's house and finds him missing with his kitchen scrubbed clean and an empty bleach bottle left behind.

Tom attends the birthday party for Captain Robert Allen, his superior officer and Judy's uncle. He attempts to inform Allen of Wally's role in Summer's murder and the money laundering scheme, but is interrupted. Later at the party, Tom discovers a Chrysler Imperial in Allen's garage with a new paint job. Allen finds Tom and tells him to let the matter go.

Fearing for his safety, Tom comes home with Judy, explains what he knows to her, and tells her they must leave that night. Allen calls and tells Tom to come over the next day, where he will explain the matter. Tom agrees. He gives the flash drive to police chief Marty Graeber, and the two go together to Allen's house. Marty excuses himself to go to the bathroom, and Allen pleads with Tom to leave to save his life, before going upstairs, where an unseen person fatally shoots him. Tom confronts Marty, who is in on the scheme, in the bathroom. Marty reaches for his gun but Tom shoots and kills him. He then shoots Wally (who was the man upstairs who killed Allen) and subdues him.

The FBI arrests Will as he is golfing.

Cast

Production

Development

On August 26, 2021, Netflix was set to produce the crime thriller script Reptile with music video director Grant Singer set to make his directorial feature film debut and with Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill, Seth Spector, Thad Luckinbill, Benicio Del Toro, and Rachel Smith as the film’s producers. [2] On October 14, 2021, Singer and Brewer were credited as co-writers. [3]

Casting

Along with the announcement on August 26, 2021, Del Toro and Justin Timberlake were cast in the film. [2] On September 30, 2021, Alicia Silverstone, Michael Pitt, Ato Essandoh, Frances Fisher, Eric Bogosian, Domenick Lombardozzi, Karl Glusman, Matilda Lutz, Owen Teague, and Catherine Dyer were cast in the film. [3] On October 14, 2021, Mike Pniewski, Thad Luckinbill, Sky Ferreira, James Devoti, and Michael Beasley were cast in the film. [4]

Filming

On August 15, 2021, filming began in Atlanta, Georgia. [5]

Soundtrack

The film score was composed by Yair Elazar Glotman, [6] featuring Arca. [7]

Release

Reptile premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023. [8] It was originally scheduled to be released by Netflix on October 6, 2023. [9] It was later changed to having a limited release in select theaters in the United States on September 22, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on September 29. [10]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 45% of 84 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "Strong work from Benicio del Toro and Alicia Silverstone isn't enough to make up for Reptile's convoluted and ultimately underwhelming story." [11] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [12]

On October 10, 2023, Reptile earned the #1 spot for English language films around the world on Netflix with 19.9 million views for the week, and on October 17, 2023, Reptile earned the #1 spot for English language films around the world on Netflix with 14.2 million views. That being its third week in a row as the #1 most viewed English language film globally on Netflix.

On October 19, 2023, The Wrap reported that for the third consecutive week Reptile was the most-watched title of all films and tv shows across any streaming service. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alicia Silverstone</span> American actress (born 1976)

Alicia Silverstone is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller The Crush (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further prominence as a teen idol when she appeared in the music videos for Aerosmith's songs "Cryin'”, "Amazing" and "Crazy". She went on to star as Cher Horowitz in the teen comedy film Clueless (1995), which earned her a multi-million dollar deal with Columbia Pictures. In 1997, she starred in the superhero film Batman & Robin, playing Batgirl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benicio del Toro</span> Puerto Rican actor (born 1967)

Benicio Monserrate Rafael del Toro Sánchez is a Puerto Rican actor. He has garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe, and a Silver Bear for his portrayal of the jaded but morally upright police officer Javier Rodriguez in the film Traffic (2000). Del Toro's performance as despairing ex-con turned zealot Jack Jordan, in Alejandro González Iñárritu's 21 Grams (2003), earned him a second nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillermo del Toro</span> Mexican filmmaker (born 1964)

Guillermo del Toro Gómez is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales and horror, with an effort to infuse visual or poetic beauty in the grotesque. He has had a lifelong fascination with monsters, which he considers symbols of great power. He is also known for his use of insectile and religious imagery, his themes of Catholicism, anti-fascism, and celebrating imperfection, underworld motifs, practical special effects, and dominant amber lighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thad Luckinbill</span> American actor

Thaddeus Rowe Luckinbill is an American actor and producer best known for playing J.T. Hellstrom on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, from August 1999 to November 2010. He reprised the role of J.T. from December 2017 to April 2018, again in March 2019, and again in May 2023.

<i>Excess Baggage</i> (1997 film) 1997 American film

Excess Baggage is a 1997 American crime comedy film, written by Max D. Adams, Dick Clement, and Ian La Frenais, and directed by Marco Brambilla about a neglected young heiress who stages her own kidnapping to get her father's attention, only to be actually kidnapped by a car thief. The film stars Alicia Silverstone, Benicio del Toro, and Christopher Walken. Upon release, it was a critical and commercial failure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adriano Giannini</span> Italian actor (born 1971)

Adriano Giannini is an Italian actor and voice actor.

Domenico Lombardozzi is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Herc in The Wire, and is also known for his roles in Tulsa King, Entourage, A Bronx Tale (1993), and The Irishman (2019).

<i>Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia</i> 2016 animated television series created by Guillermo del Toro

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia is an American animated fantasy television series created by Guillermo del Toro, distributed by DreamWorks Animation Television and Double Dare You Productions, and produced by Netflix. It was based on the 2015 novel Trollhunters by del Toro and Daniel Kraus. It follows the story of James "Jim" Lake Jr., a teenage boy who finds a mysterious amulet and stumbles across a secret realm inhabited by trolls and other magical creatures. Soon afterward, he and his friends are charged with protecting the world from the dangerous monsters that lurk in the shadows of their small suburban town.

<i>Sicario</i> (2015 film) Action thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve

Sicario is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve, written by Taylor Sheridan and starring Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin. The film follows a principled FBI special agent who is enlisted by a government task force to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel. Sicario was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It began a limited release in the United States on September 18, 2015, followed by a nationwide release on October 2, 2015.

<i>The Irishman</i> 2019 film by Martin Scorsese

The Irishman is a 2019 American epic gangster film directed and produced by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Steven Zaillian, based on the 2004 book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt. It stars Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, with Ray Romano, Bobby Cannavale, Anna Paquin, Stephen Graham, Stephanie Kurtzuba, Jesse Plemons, and Harvey Keitel in supporting roles. The film follows Frank Sheeran, a truck driver who becomes a hitman involved with mobster Russell Bufalino (Pesci) and his crime family before later working for the powerful Teamster Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino). The film marked the ninth collaboration between Scorsese and De Niro, in addition to Scorsese's fifth collaboration with Harvey Keitel, his fourth collaboration with Joe Pesci; his first with Al Pacino; the fourth collaboration between Pacino and De Niro; and the first collaboration between Pacino and Pesci altogether.

<i>Sicario: Day of the Soldado</i> 2018 film by Stefano Sollima

Sicario: Day of the Soldado is a 2018 American action-thriller film directed by Stefano Sollima and written by Taylor Sheridan. A sequel to 2015's Sicario, the film features Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jeffrey Donovan, and Raoul Trujillo reprising their roles, with Isabela Moner, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Catherine Keener joining the cast. The story relates to human trafficking at the U.S.-Mexico border and an attempt by the United States government to incite increased conflict among the cartels.

Black Label Media is a Los Angeles based independent film production, television production, podcast, entertainment and finance company founded in 2013. The company had a 25 percent stake in La La Land (2016).

<i>3Below: Tales of Arcadia</i> 2018 animated web series

3Below: Tales of Arcadia is an American animated science fantasy television series produced by DreamWorks Animation, and is the second installment of Guillermo del Toro's Tales of Arcadia trilogy.

Grant Taylor Singer is an American filmmaker, and music video and commercial director known for working with artists such as the Weeknd, Taylor Swift, Troye Sivan, Sky Ferreira, Lorde, Sam Smith, Travis Scott, Ariel Pink and Skrillex.

<i>Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio</i> 2022 film by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is a 2022 stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, with a story by Matthew Robbins and del Toro, and a screenplay by del Toro and Patrick McHale. It is loosely based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, with Pinocchio's character design strongly influenced by Gris Grimly's illustrations for a 2002 edition of the book. The film follows Pinocchio, a wooden puppet who comes to life as the son of his carver, Geppetto. Set in Fascist Italy during the interwar period, the film stars the voice of Gregory Mann as Pinocchio and David Bradley as Geppetto, alongside Ewan McGregor, Burn Gorman, Ron Perlman, John Turturro, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tim Blake Nelson, Christoph Waltz, and Tilda Swinton. Pinocchio was the final film credited to Gustafson before his death in 2024.

<i>Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans</i> 2021 film by Johane Matte, Francisco Ruiz Velasco, and Andrew Schmidt

Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans is a 2021 American animated science fantasy action film directed by Johane Matte, Francisco Ruiz Velasco, and Andrew Schmidt, and written by Guillermo del Toro, Marc Guggenheim and Dan and Kevin Hageman. It is the finale of the Tales of Arcadia franchise by Guillermo del Toro, which features the television series Trollhunters, 3Below and Wizards. A year after the events of Wizards, the Guardians of Arcadia reunite for the final time as they battle the nefarious Arcane Order, who have reawakened the primordial Titans.

<i>Guillermo del Toros Cabinet of Curiosities</i> Horror anthology streaming television series

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities is a horror anthology television series created by Guillermo del Toro for Netflix. It features eight modern horror stories in the traditions of the Gothic and Grand Guignol genres. Two are co-written by del Toro himself, while the others are written and directed by various filmmakers. It premiered on October 25, 2022, and received positive reviews.

Catherine Dyer is an American actress and producer.

The Phoenician Scheme is an upcoming American adventure comedy film directed by Wes Anderson from a script he wrote with Roman Coppola. The film will feature an ensemble cast including Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, Bill Murray, Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scarlett Johansson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rupert Friend, Willem Dafoe, Bryan Cranston, Mia Threapleton, Mohamed Chahrour, Imad Mardnli and Tonio Arango. It will be produced by Anderson through his company American Empirical Pictures and Steven Rales through his company Indian Paintbrush.

References

  1. ↑ "Reptile (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 19, 2023. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (August 26, 2021). "'Reptile': Justin Timberlake Joins Benecio Del Toro In Film From Black Label Media As It Heads To Netflix". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  3. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (September 30, 2021). "'Reptile': Domenick Lombardozzi, Karl Glusman, Owen Teague & More Join Netflix Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  4. ↑ Grobar, Matt (October 14, 2021). "'Reptile': Mike Pniewski, Thad Luckinbill, Sky Ferreira & More Round Out Cast Of Netflix Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  5. ↑ Ho, Rodney (August 15, 2021). "What's filming in Georgia in August 2021?". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Yair Elazar Glotman Scoring Grant Singer's 'Reptile'". Film Music Reporter. August 7, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  7. ↑ Gyarkye, Lovia (September 9, 2023). "'Reptile' Review: Benicio Del Toro, Alicia Silverstone and Justin Timberlake in a Police Procedural That Starts Strong, Grows Sluggish". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 12, 2023.
  8. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 24, 2023). "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders Dumb Money, The Holdovers, Rustin; Starry Pics For Sale With Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More" . Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ DeVore, Britta (August 21, 2023). "Benicio del Toro & Alicia Silverstone Reunite to Find a Killer in First 'Reptile' Trailer". Collider . Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  10. ↑ DiLillo, John (September 13, 2023). "'Reptile': Everything You Need to Know About the New Benicio Del Toro Mystery". Netflix Tudum . Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Reptile". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved October 11, 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  12. ↑ "Reptile". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  13. ↑ Strain, Cole (October 19, 2023). "Netflix's 'Reptile' Shreds the Streaming Competition". The Wrap. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.