By Steve Crum

The taut opening moments of Reptile, featuring Benecio del Toro as a dedicated detective pulled into a horrendous murder mystery, is a hook I could not let go. 

Before delving into the film’s highlights and criticisms, do not be misled regarding the “reptilian” title. It took at least 10 minutes before I realized Reptile was not a monster movie. I now figure it references del Toro’s Tom Nichols—a driven (even in his sleep) police dick of the old school. A bit slovenly here and there, he is nonetheless relentless to go above and beyond. In the process, he might lose friends and family. “A groveling or despised person” is the dictionary call. 

And so goes Detective Nichols in Reptile. 

The movie’s premise is as simple as the final act is predictable. Directed by Grant Singer (his first feature film), the story follows typical problem-cause-solution progression. A young lady real estate agent is brutally killed—in one of the houses she is showing. Numerous suspects are investigated by the local police, led by Detective Nichols. Among them are the victim’s boyfriend (well played by Justin Timberlake) and the ex-husband, Sam Gifford (Karl Glusman).

When it appears the case is solved, Nichols defies his fellow policemen, and relentlessly keeps delving into alternative solutions. His rebellious actions affect his private life, particularly his wife Judy (Alicia Silverstone). 

Singer, del Toro, and Benjamin Brewer crafted the screenplay, which has problems in the 136-minute film’s second half. Maybe this is due in part to to muddled editing (Kevin Hickman)? Nonetheless, the story morphs into a kind of paranoid and bizarre narrative involving corruption. Actually, such a plot has been around in police dramas for decades—notably 1973’s Serpico. 

While the music score by Yair Elazar Glotman and Black Label Media continually suggests there are some creepy things about to happen, it is much ado about hardly anything, a red herring at best. (Actually, the music often feels like a horror movie.) 

What begins as a taut crime story ends as anything but. In fact, the finale leaves a couple of questions unanswered. 

But what a stellar cast!

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GRADE on an A-F Scale: C-