Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. Netflix releases the film on its streaming platform theaters on Friday, October 6.
“Reptile” opens on the plaintive notes of Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning” wafting through a sequence in which realtor couple Will (Justin Timberlake) and Summer (Matilda Lutz) prep a lavish property for a showing. It then splits to Will presenting to a conference as Summer hangs out in a gym’s locker room. Newton’s tune stutters and stops. These mundane moments with an oddball soundtrack are meant to create early suspense: Summer will eventually be murdered in a vacant property. And Will is the prime suspect.
And yet, “Reptile,” the directorial feature from Grant Singer — a music video director known for his collaborations with The Weeknd and Taylor Swift — isn’t really about Summer or Will. It concerns Detective Tom Nichols.
“Reptile” opens on the plaintive notes of Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning” wafting through a sequence in which realtor couple Will (Justin Timberlake) and Summer (Matilda Lutz) prep a lavish property for a showing. It then splits to Will presenting to a conference as Summer hangs out in a gym’s locker room. Newton’s tune stutters and stops. These mundane moments with an oddball soundtrack are meant to create early suspense: Summer will eventually be murdered in a vacant property. And Will is the prime suspect.
And yet, “Reptile,” the directorial feature from Grant Singer — a music video director known for his collaborations with The Weeknd and Taylor Swift — isn’t really about Summer or Will. It concerns Detective Tom Nichols.
- 9/9/2023
- by Robert Daniels
- Indiewire
It’s fitting that Grant Singer opens Reptile, his meandering feature directorial debut, with an “Angel of the Morning” needle drop. Chip Taylor composed that aching tune about a one-night stand because he wanted to capture a passionate and ephemeral feeling. “It was beyond words,” he has said of the 1967 song. “And that is the power.”
Singer, like Taylor, reaches for the ineffable. The director, who’s helmed music videos for pop music royalty up until this point, is obsessed with controlling atmosphere and setting the mood. He crowds Reptile with gripping sequences, suspenseful moments, dramatic pauses and surprising levity — elements that, despite their overuse, keep the audience on edge and strategically blur the lines between dreams and reality. A malevolent score by Berlin-based composer Yair Elazar Glotman, with an assist from Venezuelan musician Arca, helps calibrate this tension and adds to the movie’s overall mysterious air.
There’s no doubt,...
Singer, like Taylor, reaches for the ineffable. The director, who’s helmed music videos for pop music royalty up until this point, is obsessed with controlling atmosphere and setting the mood. He crowds Reptile with gripping sequences, suspenseful moments, dramatic pauses and surprising levity — elements that, despite their overuse, keep the audience on edge and strategically blur the lines between dreams and reality. A malevolent score by Berlin-based composer Yair Elazar Glotman, with an assist from Venezuelan musician Arca, helps calibrate this tension and adds to the movie’s overall mysterious air.
There’s no doubt,...
- 9/9/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.