Novocaine

Cast View all

	Jack Quaid	Nate
	Amber Midthunder	Sherry
	Ray Nicholson	Simon
	Jacob Batalon	Roscoe
	Betty Gabriel	Mincy
	Matt Walsh	Coltraine
	Conrad Kemp	Andre
	Evan Hengst	Ben
	Craig Jackson	Nigel
	Lou Beatty Jr.	Earl
	Garth Collins	Zeno
	Tristan de Beer	Asshole
	Jessica Stanley	Waitress
	Chioma Antoinette Umeala	Bartender
	Margot Wood	Elderly Woman
	Dylan Skews	Officer 1
	Keeno Lee Hector	Downed Officer
	Maria Vos	Call Trace Officer
	Dominique Maher	News Reporter
	DeVille Vannik	EMT #1
	Lance Elliot	EMT #2
	Motsi Tekateka	Prison Guard
	Toni Jean Erasmus	Tattoo Parlor Assistant
	Steve Larter	Uniformed Officer
	Sage Van Niekerk	Busboy

Crew View all

Director	Dan Berk
	Robert Olsen
Writer	Lars Jacobson
Producer	Josh Adler, Paul Barbeau, Glen Basner, Pete Chiappetta, Alison Cohen, Adam Friedlander, Joby Harold, Lars Jacobson, Tebogo Maila, Paul Neinstein, Julian Rosenberg, Isabela Salas, Isabella Salas, Matt Schwartz, Alan Shearer, Drew Simon, Sam Speiser, Tory Tunnell
Musician	Lorne Balfe, Andrew Kawczynski
Photography	Jacques Jouffret

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Notes

My quick rating - 6.8/10. In Novocaine, directors Dan Berk & Robert Olsen deliver a satisfyingly twisted genre cocktail with equal parts action, dark comedy, and body horror-lite. Anchored by a surprisingly earnest performance from Jack Quaid, this film leans into the absurdity of its premise with confidence and style.
The story follows Nate, a charmingly average guy with one very specific quirk: he cannot feel pain. It’s a rare neurological condition that has rendered him physically impervious to suffering—at least, on the surface. When his dream girl, Sherry (played with a believable wide-eyed sweetness by Amber Midthunder), is abruptly kidnapped, Nate is thrown into a violent, unpredictable underworld, where his condition becomes both his biggest weapon and a deeply unnerving liability.
Yes, the “guy goes on a chaotic rampage for the girl of his dreams” trope is here in full force—following hot on the heels of Renner, which played with similar ideas. And yes, the damsel dynamic is growing a little tired. But Novocaine distinguishes itself by leaning hard into its offbeat tone. It’s aware of the cliché, and it toys with it enough to keep things from feeling stale. And always a welcome addition for comedic relief is his online gaming buddy, Roscoe, played by Jacob Batalon.
Lars Jacobson’s script plays cleverly with Nate’s condition, particularly in the action scenes. There’s no gory splatterfest here, but the violence has a visceral impact—think bruised bones, burned flesh, and self-surgery scenarios that will make your stomach knot. It’s not graphic in the traditional sense, but it hits hard thanks to smart camera work and Quaid’s physical performance. Although that thumb scene...well, you'll see. The film finds a unique niche between cringeworthy injury and deadpan humor, and it thrives there.
What really sells it is the pacing. This movie moves. There’s no time for emotional wallowing or needless exposition—every beat pushes Nate deeper into a world that’s more cartoonishly brutal than realistic. There are twists, of course, and most of them are deliberately ridiculous—bordering on parody—but that’s part of the appeal. You don’t watch Novocaine expecting logic. You watch it to see how far Nate will go, what weird weapon he’ll improvise next, and how many times he can fall down a flight of stairs before even he starts to wonder if he should stop.
Production-wise, the film is clean and focused. The action choreography feels tight, and the editing is sharp, helping the comedy land without undercutting the intensity. The scenes are thoughtfully constructed—even the more outrageous moments have a strange precision to them.
Jack Quaid proves he’s got leading-man chops, especially for roles that ask for physicality and charm with a dash of madness. His performance grounds the story just enough to make it emotionally engaging, even when the script veers into the bizarre.
Novocaine isn’t trying to be a masterpiece of psychological depth. It’s a wild, occasionally painful ride that blends absurdity with action in an entertaining and surprisingly effective way. It knows what it is, and it doesn’t flinch, literally or figuratively.

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