‘Novocaine’ Review: Jack Quaid Is A Shot In The Arm For Solid But Uneven Comedic Thriller
deadline.comThe template for a Jack Quaid character is clear: balance him on the precipice between violence and passivity before splattering him with blood.
Between Scream, Companion, The Boys and even his voice work on Star Trek: Lower Decks, Quaid has asserted himself as a quippy punching bag, a Buster Keaton for white guys who may or may not be an incel in waiting.
Novocaine is nothing if not a continuation of a theme, both for Quaid and for the John Wick-ification of action films. Like Wick, Nathan Caine (Quaid) is an unassuming, socially awkward shut-in who possesses a unique set of dormant skills which get unleashed by unpredictable (and exceptionally violent) external forces.
Except, in this instance, our hero’s skills take the form of an exceedingly rare disease. Caine has CIPA (congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis), which, according to a study in 2012, only affects around 1 in 125 million.
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