With an Oscar on the shelf and an unmistakable instinct for ambiguous characters, Benicio Del Toro takes the lead in a dense, atmospheric thriller that marks Grant Singer’s debut as a feature film director. “Reptile” is more than a criminal investigation — it’s a psychological plunge into the mind of a detective surrounded by a decaying society. The screenplay, co-written by Del Toro and Benjamin Brewer, gradually unpacks the case that consumes Tom Nichols, a brooding, seasoned officer tasked with solving the brutal murder of a real estate agent.
The victim is Summer (Matilda Lutz), the central figure in a love triangle steeped in moral ambiguity. She was dating Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), heir to the firm where she worked, yet continued secret meetings with her ex-husband, Sam Gifford (Karl Glusman). As the police dig deeper, another name appears on the radar: Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt), a man filled with resentment after being forced to sell his land to Grady’s company. The suspect list grows, and the weight of everyone’s past begins to bear down on the case.
Nichols’s discoveries reveal a web far more tangled than the initial murder suggested. The narrative sprawls into murky territory involving drug trafficking and a network of corruption within the police itself. Amid this systemic rot, the detective operates according to a personal code of ethics that defies institutional norms — reminiscent of a modern-day Frank Serpico. Yet his integrity is pushed to the brink of sanity, as the case drags him into a spiral of paranoia and mental disarray.
Del Toro lends the character a restless depth: Nichols often seems out of sync with time, as if the noise of the world around him were nothing more than a dull hum. There are moments when the detective becomes a spectator to his own life, with events echoing in his mind at warped frequencies. This silent interiority, made of glances and pauses, draws the audience into a sensory maze that rarely offers logical exits — but exerts a magnetic unease.
Singer, with extensive experience in music videos, brings a pulsating rhythm to the film, supported by a meticulously stylized visual construction. His admitted influences — “Vertigo”, “Cold Pursuit”, “Zodiac” — are not merely references but structural foundations for his aesthetic. The partnership with Del Toro was made possible through producers at Black Label, who had previously worked with the actor on “Sicario”, and were instrumental in bringing the project to Netflix with both creative and commercial backing.
The decision to use the film box technique, suggested by cinematographer Mike Gioulakis, adds texture and grain reminiscent of 1970s thrillers, enhancing a nostalgic and slightly melancholic tone. Singer chose to shoot with a single camera, favoring intimate and deliberate compositions, except for a dinner sequence at the film’s beginning, where three cameras captured the nuances of dialogue and tension simultaneously.
“Reptile” balances between neo-noir and psychological thriller, summoning a dark elegance without sacrificing the genre’s required rawness. While its plot may tread familiar ground, it holds enough twists to resist predictability. Its strength lies in the polish of its execution — in both direction and performance. Grant Singer debuts with the assurance of someone who knows precisely where he’s headed — and with Del Toro as his dramatic anchor, he enters the world of cinema with a confident, deliberate impact.
Film: Reptile
Director: Grant Singer
Year: 2023
Genres: Thriller/Crime
Rating: 9/10