Novocaine: 2025 Hollywood Action Thriller Film Trailer, Review

Movie Name: Novocaine
Directed by: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, Matt Walsh
Genre: Action, Thriller, Comedy
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Release Date: 14 March, 2025
Rating: 
Languages: English
Production House: Infrared Pictures, Safehouse Pictures, Circle of Confusion
Budget: $18 million
Box office: $34.2 million

When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, a man incapable of feeling physical pain turns his rare condition into an unexpected advantage in the fight to rescue her.

Novocaine: Overview

Novocaine is an upcoming American action thriller film directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and written by Lars Jacobson. It stars Jack Quaid as Nathan Caine, alongside Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, and Matt Walsh.

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 14, 2025, by Paramount Pictures.

Nathan Caine is a mild-mannered introvert with a rare disorder, congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), who must rescue his girlfriend who has been taken hostage in a bank robbery.

In October 2023, it was announced that Jack Quaid would star in the action thriller film Novocaine, directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and written by Lars Jacobson. It is the first film from FilmNation Entertainment’s production label Infrared. In February 2024, Paramount Pictures acquired the film, with Amber Midthunder also announced as part of the cast. In March, Ray Nicholson, Jacob Batalon, Betty Gabriel, and Matt Walsh joined the cast of the film. Principal photography began on April 8, 2024, in Cape Town, South Africa.

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on March 14, 2025.

Movie Trailer:

Movie Review:

An absurd action-comedy that delivers laughs and gore

Story: 

A banker suffering from a rare genetic disorder that prevents him from feeling physical pain turns his ailment into his greatest strength to rescue the woman he loves from kidnappers.

Review: 

Director Dan Berk and Robert Olsen’s action comedy kicks off with R.E.M’s ‘Everybody Hurts,’ which ironically doesn’t apply to its protagoist, Nathan ‘Nate’ Caine. As an assistant bank manager with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (CIPA), Nate is immune to physical discomfort, a condition that forces him to baby-proof his home, avoid solid foods (lest he accidentally bite off his tongue), and set alarms to remind himself to use the bathroom. Amid this painful (pun unintended) condition, he falls head over heels for Sherry (Amber Midthunder). But when a violent bank robbery leads to Sherry being taken hostage, Nate flips his lifelong curse into a weapon, setting off on a chaotic mission to save her.

Writer Lars Jacobson’s quirky concept, paired with Berk and Olsen’s zany direction, results in a film that blends gore, comedy, and stylish action in unexpected ways. There’s plenty to make your stomach turn—Nate dunking his hand in boiling oil, walking through a booby-trapped house, tattooing an address onto his palm—but the film’s sharp humour and slick execution make it an oddly enjoyable ride. One standout sequence has Nate pretending to feel pain while a villain tortures him, all to buy time until help arrives. The irony is clear: a man who can’t feel pain is utterly unprepared to handle real danger, having spent his life cocooned by his overprotective family.

The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, nor should you—at least until the final act. While the plot overstretches with two unnecessary climaxes that add little to the narrative, its 115-minute runtime maintains a steady pace. The comedic moments keep the audience engaged, even amid the excess of slapstick violence.

Jack Quaid delivers a solid performance as the unlikely hero on an unintentional blood-soaked rampage, effortlessly balancing humour and chaos. His chemistry with Amber Midthunder feels natural, while Jacob Batalon shines as the hilarious sidekick, injecting the film with a fun buddy-movie vibe. Ray Nicholson, as the psychotic villain, brings just the right amount of menace to keep things interesting.

This wild, over-the-top action-comedy leans into absurdity but offers a fun mix of gore, humour, and stylish thrills. But be prepared to recoil!