'Novocaine' Review: Hits Hard in Action But the Story Pulls its Punches
- Elliot Lines
- Mar 28
- 2 min read
By Elliot Lines - March 28, 2025
Novocaine is at its best when playing with the "no pain" element within its action scenes. Jack Quaid delivers a charming performance, but the film is hindered by a weak love story and unconvincing antagonists.
Assistant bank manager Nathan Cain (Jack Quaid) has led a quiet and sheltered life due to a condition that prevents him from feeling pain. Everything changes when he meets Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a relatively new colleague who is about to turn his world upside down. After a bank robbery in which Sherry is kidnapped, Nathan puts his life at risk in an attempt to save her.
We're introduced to Nathan through his morning routine, which initially appears fairly normal but is carefully structured. At first, he seems like a bit of a loner, but when he steps out of his comfort zone to have lunch with Sherry, he reveals that he has a genetic disorder called CIPA, which prevents him from feeling pain. Quaid is well-cast and brings his signature charm to a role that is quite different from his other performance this year in Companion. This character bears more resemblance to early iterations of Hughie from The Boys, where he is far more unsure of himself and inexperienced with violence.
Novocaine is at its strongest in its action scenes, using Nathan's condition as both a source of comedic relief and a unique twist on standard fight sequences. In these moments, Nathan makes quirky remarks and even comically pretends to be tortured by one of the bank robbers. However, the film does well to emphasize that he is not invincible—while he can't feel pain, he still suffers bruises, burns, and fatigue.
Nathan's newfound sense of adventure is driven by a single night spent with Sherry. Unfortunately, this love story lacks depth and would have been more convincing had the film dedicated more time to developing their relationship rather than condensing it into one evening. That said, Amber Midthunder and Jack Quaid share great on-screen chemistry in their brief moments together, but their connection would have been more impactful if given room to grow.
The action kicks off with a botched bank robbery in which Sherry is taken hostage. The robbers—dressed as Santa Claus (with Christmas being oddly referenced multiple times)—are fairly unconvincing as antagonists. There is an added twist that you may or may not see coming (I did), and once it is revealed, the pieces of the puzzle start to fall into place.
There’s fun to be had with Novocaine, but certain storytelling choices prevent it from being truly memorable. Quaid is at his charismatic best and injects energy into the film.
Novocaine is out now in cinemas
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