Although there arelikely more action films being made today than there ever have been before in history,theres a rather shocking lack of brutality when compared to what the genre looked like in the 1990s.
Ignoring the rare, generational classics likeJohn WickorMad Max: Fury Road, many action films are afraid to ever show their protagonists in a vulnerable position; it’s become impossible to invest in the complete silliness of franchises likeThe Fast and the FuriousandTakenbecause of the ways in which they defy logic, but even R-rated sagas likeThe EqualizerandExtractionfeel oddly toothless.Novocaineproved to be a terrific satireof the action genre, as it examined the reality of what it would be like for a hero to literally not feel any pain.
Even if it was pitched in a more comedic register,Novocainefeatures the creative graphic violence that the action genre is sorely missing right now.
Novocaine Embraces the Freedom of Blood and Gore
The conceit behindNovocaineis somewhat brilliant; Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is a mild-mannered employee of a bank who takes it upon himself to become a hero after his girlfriend Sherry (Amber Midthunter)is kidnapped by a gang of robbers.Nathan has a congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis, but it’s a condition that is not as advantageous as it sounds; he can still be wounded, but his body isnt able to produce a reaction that would make him aware that his life was in danger.
However, the fact that Nathan doesnt go through physical trauma means thatNovocaineis able to feature a shocking amount of brutality,with some death sequences feeling like they approach the body horror genre.
Although this may have been more challenging to accept if Nathan was in a constant state of misery, his condition allows him to still have the same snarky, charismatic attitudethat makes for a great action hero.
Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine, a bank executive with congenital insensitivity to pain. When his girlfriend is kidnapped during a bank robbery, his rare condition becomes his greatest asset in a daring rescue mission.
Jack Quaid is back in theaters with ‘Novocaine’ as he makes a name for himself in the action genre.
Action films need to be visceral for succeed, as it becomes increasingly hard to have any emotional investment when there is not a tangible sense of logic.Novocaineacknowledges that movie logic does not always apply, as Nathan can walk away from critical sequences with devastating injuries; the fact that he can be wounded also means thatseeing the villains dispatched in such ruthless fashion becomes even more satisfying.Novocaineis effective because of its relatively small scale, as it is not trying to be a global action epic in the vein of aMission: ImpossibleorJames Bondfilm; however, the film is able to have its own unique attitude through the use of dark humor, particularly when Nathan inadvertently inflicts serious damage on his opponents.
The fact that Nathan, a bumbling, awkward character, is the one that is causing so much damage givesNovocainea healthy sense of humor.
Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine, a bank executive with congenital insensitivity to pain. When his girlfriend is kidnapped during a bank robbery, his rare condition becomes his greatest asset in a daring rescue mission.
The Stakes of Novocaine Feel Very Real
Although the elaborate death scenes produce some of the films greatest laughs,Novocaineuses its brutality to help escalate the tension, as it is important to show the consequences of being involved in such dangerous situations.
Nathan is put in several positions in which his body simply isnt able to function because of the wounds that it has sustained; this isnt just dangerous for him but means that he could fail to rescue Sherry in time.The relatively short timeframe of the film means that the blood and gore escalate,as Nathan does not have the time to heal from any of his injuries.
Seeing him make a run at complete his mission, despite being relentlessly tortured and beaten,makes the thrilling final action sequenceeven more rewarding than it would have been otherwise.
Blood and gore need to be normalized within action films, as it’s odd to see that the genre has ignored something that would seem so inherent.
While not every action film needs tofeature the heightened, over-the-top carnageof aDeadpoolsequel, to not acknowledge any sort of tangible bodily harm makes the genre feel even more unrealistic.Novocaineis a fun satire that manages to reorient recurring tropes within action cinema, but italso points towards what the genre should be aiming forwithin the sequel.
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Cast
Jack Quaid stars as Nathan Caine, a bank executive with congenital insensitivity to pain.
When his girlfriend is kidnapped during a bank robbery, his rare condition becomes his greatest asset in a daring rescue mission.
