The Directors of 'Novocaine's Last Film Boldly Asked “Could We Defeat The Thing By Giving It Anxiety?”

Dan Berk and Robert Olson’s Novocaine is a crowd-pleasing romantic action-comedy starring Jack Quaid as a credit union assistant manager who can’t feel pain. He takes on a dangerous quest to save his crush (played by Amber Midthunder) when bank robbers take her hostage, sending Caine on a cross-city trek against ex-special forces villains. Caine's lack of pain is far from a lack of damage (this isn't Deadpool & Wolverine). As a consequence, Caine has to overcome a lifetime of being highly risk-adverse as an unnoticed garden-variety cut, for example, could prove fatal. It’s an excellent genre bender that puts Quaid’s Nathan Caine in body horror territory as his pain-free corporeal form takes unthinkable levels of damage. The film adeptly uses this admittedly gory set-up for comedy and action sequences alike, a delicate balance showcasing a strong command of genre territory.