Much like its main character, this 2025 action movie refuses to die. Cementing itself more and more as a modern genre classic, the action outing boasts a stellar cast that includes a star from The Boys and a star from the Predator prequel, Prey, with the pair continuing to fight and keep the top spot on streaming.
The action movie in question is Novocaine, which finds Jack Quaid leaping from Prime Video’s violent superhero world and into the equally violent world of action heroism. The Boys actor, who is also known for Scream, Oppenheimer, and My Adventures with Superman, takes the lead as Nathan “Novocaine” Caine, a mild-mannered bank executive who has congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), meaning he cannot feel pain. A niche skill that comes in handy when the woman of his dreams is kidnapped…
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Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, the rest of the cast includes Amber Midthunder (Prey), Ray Nicholson (Smile 2), Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: No Way Home), Betty Gabriel (Get Out), and Matt Walsh (Veep). You can check out the official synopsis below…
“When the girl of his dreams (Amber Midthunder) is kidnapped, everyman Nate (Jack Quaid) turns his inability to feel pain into an unexpected strength in his fight to get her back.”
Nathan Caine Refuses to Give Up the #1 Spot on Streaming
Despite landing on streaming a few months ago now, Novocaine continues to dominate on Paramount+, with the action comedy beating the likes of Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, The Nice Guys, and more to the top spot. Clearly, audiences have found an unexpected action hero to root for in Jack Quaid’s Nathan Caine.
Novocaine was met with rave reviews from both critics and audiences alike, and the action movie now stands at a “certified fresh” 81% on Rotten Tomatoes from the former, alongside an even more impressive 84% from the latter on the Popcornmeter. MovieWeb’s own Julian Roman found much to enjoy in the vicious exploits of Nathan Caine, heaping praise on the premise, Quaid’s performance, and the gore on display, saying…
“Novocaine shifts into high gear in a second act that stays pedal to the metal as Nathan frantically searches for Sherry. Berk and Olsen have already established his motivation. We know the depth of his abilities and hellbent desire to save the girl of his dreams. This is akin to Clark Kent tearing open his shirt and revealing the Superman logo. The meek and mild-mannered banker transforms into a formidable warrior, but he’s not strong, bulletproof, or a skilled fighter. There were audible gasps in my theater when Nathan engages his first opponent and begins to get grotesquely injured.”
Following such success, sequel talks must surely follow. While nothing has been confirmed, Novocaine 2 (title pitch: Novocaine 2: No Pain No Gain) is something that Jack Quaid himself has since expressed interest in, saying to Screen Rant, “I would love it. There’s so many ideas I have, there’s so many ideas that I know Dan and Bobby have. It’d be really cool. So, I don’t know, we’ll pray to the movie gods to make that happen.”
Source: Screen Rant
3.5
/5
- Release Date
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March 14, 2025
- Runtime
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109 minutes
- Director
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Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
- Writers
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Lars Jacobson
