In the new Netflix thriller REPTILE, a woman is found brutally slain in her home. A perceptive detective, Tom Nichols, tries to put the pieces together. Multiple suspects, including the woman’s boyfriend, ex-husband and others, all with connections to one another, present a multifaceted puzzle for Nichols. When he discovers the strange marks on the victim’s hands are likely bite marks, the mystery deepens and darkens. As Nichols uncoils the mystery, he comes to question not only his information but also his own assumptions about his job.
This criminal conspiracy thriller is too long. Its story could have been told in half the time. It also doesn’t sustain suspense but drags slowly to a violent end. In fact, the movie sometimes revels in its gruesome subject matter. That said, REPTILE has a solid moral worldview. As such, it tells a story of good overcoming evil, of an honest cop taking down a criminal conspiracy. However, REPTILE has excessive foul language, brief but brutal violence and light sexual references. Also, the mystery involves illegal drug activity in multiple cases. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises extreme caution.
(B, Ho, LLL, VVV, S, N, M)
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Light overall worldview is moral, one of good eventually overcoming evil in the form of an honest cop discovering a criminal conspiracy involving three of his fellow police officers, plus a man at a dinner party tells an obscene story involving homosexuality
Foul Language:
At least 43 obscenities (including 29 “f” words) and four strong profanities
Violence:
Some very strong violence with lighter violence includes a woman finds a snake skin in her house and is later found dead (a darkly obscured shot of the corpse shows some lacerations with lots of blood), later homicide detectives later discuss the crime in detail by noting the number of stab wounds, places of puncture, etc., the grisly image of the murder victim is shown more clearly in a later scene, a suspect engages in a gunfight with police and is found dead in a shed with much blood on his back and stomach, a man shoots another man in the stomach (some blood on hands) before the man wakes up from his dream, a man involved in a criminal conspiracy tries to warn a friend and is shot and killed on his stairway (impact without blood is shown), a man shoots another point blank in the head in a restroom and blood splatters all over the mirror and walls, a cop faces a corrupt cop and shoots him three times; a police officer dials 911 after having killed two corrupt cops in one’s home (there’s a lot of blood on his hands)
Sex:
A man puts his arms around a woman, caresses and kisses her, but she tells him to stop, a blow up sex toy of the female form is passed around and signed by multiple men in one scene, a married couple joke with each other about when they lost their virginity with other persons in the past,
Nudity:
A woman in a locker room takes off her shirt exposing her whole back with a tattoo down her spine; a woman lies in her panties and a shirt in bed; a man is naked in the shower (back and arms shown); a statue of a female with wings bound and gagged is found in a suspect’s house (breasts and nipples are exposed)
Alcohol Use:
Some social drinking at a restaurant, social drinking among members of a homicide team as they work on a case while play cards, and many people drink at a party
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
A woman says that people thought she was a drug dealer in high school because of the kind of car she drove, a witness reveals that illegal drug activity is involved in the case, and packs of heroin are recovered by the police in multiple cases that are shown to be connected;
Miscellaneous Immorality:
The plot includes the unmasking of several corrupt cops who are complicit in a criminal conspiracy regarding coverups, drugs and a murder.
In the new Netflix thriller, REPTILE, a woman named Summer is found brutally slain in her home. The strange thing is, she had just seen a snakeskin just before her murder. A homicide detective, Tom Nichols, tries to put the pieces together. Multiple suspects, including the woman’s boyfriend, ex-husband and others, with connections among each other, present a multifaceted puzzle.
The boyfriend, Will Grady, is the one who found the victim. Since he’s the most cooperative, Detective Nichols and his team begin to work with him. However, the Detective’s suspicions quickly grow, and it becomes clear that, whoever was behind the murder, Grady or one of the others, was not working alone.
When Nichols discovers that the strange marks on the victim’s hands are likely bite marks, the mystery deepens and darkens. As he undoes the coils of this crime, Nichols comes to question not only his information but also his own assumptions about his job as a whole.
Overall, this criminal conspiracy thriller is too long and too foul mouthed to be commended. Its story really could have been told in half the time. There is fleeting tension and suspense in places, but this is never sustained. Also, REPTILE revels in its gruesome subject matter. On the positive side, the Detective is morally upstanding, perceptive and perseverant, and he and his wife work well together. But, this is about all there is to keep one watching.
The overall worldview is biblical moral, one of good eventually overcoming evil in the form of an honest cop discovering a criminal conspiracy. A strongly moral police officer, whose past is called into question before he’s exonerated, seeks the truth with help from his wife. Many other characters, including some of his fellow police officers, are hiding at least something. It has been well said that “if no one lied, detecting would be all too easy,” but the depths to which so many have gone to cover up lawless deeds in REPTILE is startling. in its portrayal of fallen man’s “heart of darkness”. Overall, the
movie’s excessive foul language, sexual material, and brief but brutal violence make it necessary for Movieguide® to advise extreme caution to adults.
