Movie: Reptile (2023) Caution: Spoiler Alert

 Reptile

Came out; 2023

Time; 2 hours 14 minutes

Watched: Netflix

Rated: R for language, violence and some nude images

IMDB Rating; 6.8/10

Caution; Spoiler Alert

Staring.

Benicio Del Toro as Tom Nicholas

Justin Timberlake as Will Grady

Eric Bogosian as Captain Robert Allen

Alicia Silverstone as Judy Nicholas

Domenick Lombardozzi as Wally

Frances Fisher as Camille Grady

Ato Essandoh as Dan Cleary

Michael Pitt as Eli Phillips

Story Line.

Will Grady (Justin Timberlake) is a Scarborough real estate mogul dating an agent named Summer (Matilda Lutz). They flip foreclosures on expensive homes in the area under the watchful eye of Will's mom, Camille (Frances Fisher), and there seems to be some brewing tension in the relationship. One day, Will meets Summer at a house she's showing and finds her brutally murdered.

Thoughts:

The cast was great. The story line was great. The movie itself is a slow burn type and it's so slow.

I knew there was something else going on but couldn't figure it out. I knew something else would come out but wasn't sure what.

All in all, it was pretty good with the twists and turns, I just wish it would have been a little faster paced.

CAUTION; Major Spoiler Alert

Will Grady (Timberlake) finds his girlfriend Summer Elswick (Lutz) brutally murdered in a rural Maine house that they had been showing for sale as realtors. When questioned by the police detectives assigned to the case, Tom Nichols (Del Toro) and his partner Dan Cleary (Essandoh), Grady reveals that he was planning on marrying Elswick but couldn't because she was technically still married to Sam Gifford (Glusman). He is released. Video evidence from nearby security footage shows a dark-colored car with a missing hubcap that Cleary identifies as a 1990 Buick LaSabre; later on, Tom's wife, Judy (Silverstone), correctly identifies the vehicle as a Chrysler Imperial.

After Elswick's funeral, Grady tells Tom about a man named Eli Phillips (Michael Pitt) who had come to his mother's house a few nights earlier and tried to force himself in. He explains that, when his father ran the family's real estate company, they had forcibly bought Phillips's family farm. Phillips's father committed suicide, and he blames Grady's family for it. When Tom and Cleary question Phillips, Phillips accuses Grady of murdering Elswick. He also reveals that he has been researching information on Tom himself, showing an awareness of a corruption scandal involving his former partner when he was working at a precinct in Philadelphia.

DNA analysis of semen found inside of Elswick during the autopsy matches that of Gifford. This goes along with a statement from a friend of Elswick's that the two of them were still seeing each other, meeting secretly at the properties she was selling to have sex. Tom returns to Gifford's with a warrant. Giffords grabs Cleary's gun and, while attempting to flee, is shot by Tom. A search of his house finds 13 kilos of heroin.

Gifford, now dead, is declared to be Elswick's murderer. Tom is hesitant to accept this. Phillips appears at his house at night and gives him a flash drive with evidence that Elswick was caught up in a scheme by the Gradys to launder drug money. Properties are planted with drugs and then commandeered via civil asset forfeiture. The Gradys under a shell company called White Fish then buys the properties. Elswick was murdered to stop her from reporting the matter to the DEA.

Evidence points to police officer Wally Finn being behind White Fish, as he has started a private security company called Activate Duty Consulting that has the same PO Box for its address as White Fish. At the birthday party for Captain Robert Allen (Bogosian), Tom's superior officer and Judy's uncle, Tom decides to privately inform Allen of Finn's role in Elwick's murder and the money laundering scheme. However, he has trouble finding a moment alone. Still at the party, he finds a Chrysler Imperial in Allen's garage with a recent paint job. Allen finds Tom in his garage and tells him to let the matter go.

Fearing for his safety, Tom comes home with Judy, explains what he knows to her, and tells her that they must leave that night. However, Allen calls and says he will explain the matter the next day if Tom comes over. Tom agrees. He gives the flash drive to police chief Marty Graeber (Pniewski), and the two of them go together to Allen's house. Marty excuses himself to go to the bathroom, and Allen pleads with Tom to leave before going upstairs to save his own life. Allen is then shot. Marty, who is in on the scheme, comes out and attempts to kill Tom. Tom is able to kill both Marty and Finn, who had been upstairs.