Reptile is one of those films that receives mixed-to-bad reviews, and yet, I have a hard time understanding why. For one, critics’ tendency to disproportionately trash Netflix movies seems to be a thing of the past. And two, on its own, Reptile is a well-made, if not overlong, detective drama. When you tack on a series of terrific performances from its seasoned cast, especially from Benicio Del Toro, you end up with a product worthy of the two-plus hours it asks of you. Personally, I’d take this kind of gritty-yet-imperfect whodunnit over a by-the-numbers blockbuster any day.

When a realtor named Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz) is brutally murdered in a house she’s selling, detectives of Scarborough PD*, led by Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro), are brought in to investigate. Among the suspects are Summer’s boyfriend and fellow realtor Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), her artist ex-husband Sam (Karl Glusman), and a tech-savvy misfit named Eli (Michael Carmen Pitt). As Tom gets deeper into his investigation, he uncovers more than he bargained for and is forced to confront demons both external and internal. When the case begins affecting his home life with his wife Judy (Alicia Silverstone), Tom is forced to decide what kind of cop he wants to be.

Two of the most common critiques leveled at Reptile is that it’s too convoluted and long. I disagree with the “convoluted” argument; my four-sentence synopsis pretty much summarizes the film’s plot. Sure, its story is hardly straightforward, but for a murder mystery, I found it surprisingly easy to follow, and thusly, quite engaging. When push comes to shove, pause it if you go pee, pay attention to each new detail that Del Toro unearths, and you’ll be just fine. As for the overlong complaint, that one I agree with. There’s one subplot in particular, involving the renovation of Tom and Judy’s home and the contractor doing the work, that could be removed and change virtually nothing. There’s also a 2-3 minute scene that I found manipulative and wholly unnecessary. I understand why those scenes made the final cut, but the benefit of including them doesn’t outweigh the benefit of a tighter runtime and tauter story. Certainly, director Grant Singer and his editor could’ve trimmed ten minutes without issue.

That being said, I was never bored with Reptile, mainly because I found the performances to be nearly flawless and the filmmaking quite impressive. It almost goes without saying, but Del Toro is an utterly riveting guy to watch, and seeing how he co-wrote this movie, is also quite invested in giving Tom everything he’s got. He’s perfect as this steely, former big-city detective turned small-town gumshoe. The rest of the cast gives stellar efforts as well, with Silverstone, Pitt, and Eric Bogosian standing out from the pack.** Filmmaking wise, Grant Singer demonstrates a range of ability that belies the fact he’s a first-time director. I’ve seen comparisons to a young Fincher that I find apt, but he also reminds me of Mangold and Villeneuve at times. Cinematographer Michael Gioulakis deserves a lot of praise for his work here as well.

Given the twisty-turny nature of Reptile, I’ve tried to keep this review short and vague. Nevertheless, I want to conclude by addressing the ending, which is unarguably brusque and underwritten.*** It’s not atrocious, per se, but a meticulously plotted movie deserves a meticulously plotted ending. Conversely, I expect that many viewers will enjoy the film’s down-to-business final act, and that sort of plays into my earlier point: don’t trust the critics on this one, even me. Reptile is a mystery that needs to be seen in order to be understood and appreciated, and its pluses and minuses will vary from viewer to viewer. To me, it’s the kind of medium-difficulty, R-rated mystery that I always seek out and savor. And again, it stars Benicio Del Toro, so, enough said.

If I had to score it, I’d give Reptile a 7/10.

Notes:

* I’ve seen some reviewers state that Reptile is set in Scarborough, Maine, but I think they got it wrong. Del Toro plays an ex-Philadelphia cop, there’s a reference to Limerick being nearby (it’s in Montgomery County), and there’s swag in the police station that hint at it being somewhere in eastern Pennsylvania. Therefore, Scarborough is more likely a fictional suburb somewhere northwest of Philadelphia.

** If anyone is miscast, it’s Justin Timberlake, who’s an actor I usually like. Unfortunately, Reptile doesn’t utilize the sort of charisma Timberlake can bring to bear. His performance as Will Grady is passable, but the role doesn’t feel written to fit his skill-set.

*** [SPOILER] In some ways, Reptile plays out like a stylish homage to James Mangold’s 1997 crime drama, Cop Land. More than a few of its narrative beats brought Cop Land to my mind when I was watching it. This includes its ending, which sees Del Toro in a dangerous situation akin to the one Stallone is in at the end of that film. The main difference is that Cop Land’s ending is outstanding and action-packed where Reptile’s is sloppy and underwhelming. Regardless, I hope Reptile propels Singer to bigger projects like Cop Land did for Mangold.