Reptiles

A real estate developer is considered the prime suspect after he finds his realtor girlfriend murdered at a vacant property. The initial police investigation stalls when it's revealed he has an alibi and the victim had a bitter ex-husband.

All this is just the opening passage, after which homicide detective Tom Nichols sets to work and finds a tangled web of additional complications as the case gets murkier. With the plot unfolding at an unhurried pace, Nichols' nuanced relationship with his wife Judy is given unusual prominence for a neo-noir mystery movie. The rest of the excellent cast is well up to the task of portraying individuals being hostile and devious as Nichols ruffles the feathers of his suspects and colleagues. 'Reptile' is a thoroughly professional debut by a first time director which offers several modest innovations to the genre.

Would you like to see some action, shooting, car chases, killings and have a lot of fun? If so, watch something else. This is not for you.

I enjoy action movies as described above, nothing wrong with that. REPTILE is different though. This is a very good crime thriller, easily the best crime thriller since WIND RIVER (2017, Taylor Sheridan). When i say "crime thriller", i mean movies with officers/detectives trying to catch killers, murder investigations etc. For some reason, this genre is dying. I don't remember many crime thrillers recently except THE PALE BLUE EYE/TO CATCH A KILLER/Abgeschnitten (2018)/ONLY THE ANIMALS (2019). Some of them were good, some were not. REPTILE is undeniably better than all of them.

Beware, this is a slow burn. There are some twists and turns but this is not a movie that will blow your mind with surprising events. It takes its time to unfold, i mean, a lot of time. And it's superb regarding acting and character study. No words to describe Del Toro's performance, this is indeed mindblowing. I could watch him for 10 minutes straight even if he didn't do anything, just thinking about his next move. I'll be honest, some people may find it boring, i don't agree with that but i respect it. No way though i could respect a bad opinion about this performance. The way he conveys his feeling without saying a word, it's out of this world. Of course, i helps if your face is so much expressive.

There are some reviews criticizing this because there are not many straight answers but enough plot holes. I hear it but i disagree. Almost every question is being answered here, as long as you think it through. This definitely ain't an ambiguous movie. Not plot holes, almost everything is crystal clear. At times, answers might not be so specific but these particular questions are kinda insignificant if you look at the great picture. Now, if you like a bit spoon feeding in your movies, sure you shouldn't watch this.

In conclusion, this is intelligent, realistic, well acted, intense at times and the ending is satisfying. It's flawed, not groundbreaking, definitely not a masterpiece, definitely won't stay in your mind for long. But if you miss this genre, you are gonna like it.

PS I don't remember Timberlake being that good in any of his movies. Actually, i always thought he's a bad actor. He is good here. Silverstone too. Bogosian is excellent.

For those who like murder mysteries like me, this is an excellent movie. My fave shows and movies are BBC mysteries and Nordic Noir - well written and well acted productions. Certainly, for the mystery-affectionado, this is a quality production from top to bottom - acting, writing, story-line, camera work, production. Benicio Del Torro is a pleasure to watch. I feel like the story was somewhat familiar but I appreciate a movie which re-covers a certain theme but in a quality way. For those who enjoy an intelligent mystery / thriller, they will enjoy this movie. For those who want a more shoot 'em up, car chase, action-packed show, this will disappoint. Overall, I recommend to anyone who enjoys quality mystery / thriller productions.

SLOWburning detective movie and when I say SLOWburning then I mean really SLOW. Sorry for all these capital letters, but the first hour nothing much happens and I was wondering if anything was about to happen at all. Well, fortunately it did!

The REAL suspense and thrill (only slowly yet steadily) intensifies during the second hour, which gets really creepy and intense, with a final that is like a sledgehammer. Wow. Really impressed by it.

The good: Benicio del Toro Benicio del Toro Benicio del Toro.

This man has got charisma few other actors (are lucky to) have. He really steals the show, with his very subtle acting skills, that convey so many different feelings that simply watching Benicio del Toro lifting up a small glass to drink is fascinating to watch.

Benicio del Toro co-wrote the screenplay and he co-produced this movie as well. So he had a lot of cloud. And it shows, because this is one heck of a Benicio del Toro flick.

The director made his feature movie debut, with only having made lots of music videos before and although I dont think his direction was terrific, it certainly was a masterful debut.

Quite impressed AND spooked out by it. Recommended for the art house movie fans of slowburning (yet still suspenseful) detective movies.

This slow-burner of a murder yarn may just turn out to be the best thriller of the year. A realtor is found dead by her colleague and partner who naturally becomes a suspect but then there are a few other men in her life who are also suspects; so far, so common-place but Grant Singer's "Reptile" is as much about the police investigating the killing as it is about the investigation. These are a close-knit bunch of cops who both work and play together and who may not be as clean as they should be.

A sterling cast, (Benicio Del Torro, Alicia Silverstone, Justin Timberlake, Eric Bogosian, Michael Pitt, Frances Fisher), add a further touch of class to an already classy thriller and one that is as far from conventional multiplex fare as you are likely to get. It may not always be that easy to follow and midway through the killing seems to fade into the background but it's always highly intelligent and while it may not appeal to a mass audience I think it has cult status written all over it.