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Written by: Lars Jacobson
Directed by: Dan Berk, Robert Olsen
Starring: Jack Quaid, Amber Midthunder, Ray Nicholson
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
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.
Verdict
It's certainly a unique concept that frequently tries to gross you out with various forms of torture. It's that concept that prevents this from feeling generic. The pacing is never less than brisk and Quaid lends the character a pleasant awkwardness that makes him likable despite a disparate list of crimes committed during the movie. This generates a scenario where a guy with no skills goes on a rampage despite being completely outmatched at every step. He has only one skill, but seeing someone never react to extreme pain is always unsettling.
It depends.
Review
Even if you don't know the premise, it's clear Nathan (Jack Quaid) is unique with tennis balls on every corner of furniture. He's an assistant bank manager that cares about customers and wants to help them. Nathan is a bit awkward, in part because he can't feel pain and thus is very cautious. Pain is a warning, and he has no warning.
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| Amber Midthunder, Jack Quaid play Sherry, Nathan Caine |
While he likes Sherry (Amber Midthunder), he doesn't ask her out due to his condition. Even when she asks him out he hesitates before deciding to take a chance. He's embarrassed about his condition, and that's made worse when they run into his middle school bully. His confidence is deflated but Sherry pranks the bully using Nathan's condition as an advantage. It's clear she likes him.
The problem with working at a bank is the danger of a bank robbery. Thieves assault the manager and Nathan before taking Sherry as a hostage. Nathan is completely infatuated, and he gets a wild idea to save her as he steals a gun and cop car. He can't fight, but his inability to feel pain comes in handy. His first fight in a commercial kitchen is intense. There are several extremely hot appliances that aid Nathan in the fight as he comes out the winner. The pain he experiences, yet doesn't feel, nearly turns your stomach. It's basically self-inflicted torture. It's one thing to see someone experience pain, it's another to see a complete lack of reaction.
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| Jack Quaid plays Nathan Caine |
The cops want Nathan to stop. Due to the various crimes he's already committed, they wonder if he's in on it. He refuses, using clues to track Sherry. His first stop is a tattoo parlor. This movie can be flat out gross. Nathan punches shards of glass from a broken mirror to embed them in his hands so his punches have extra bite. That encounter leads him to one of the thieves homes. Of course it's booby trapped, and you can guess what happens next. He's apprehended by one of the thieves who proceeds to torture him as Nathan has to fake pain. It's difficult to watch.
The penultimate fight is long and painful looking. Nathan wins and this has a mostly happy ending. This movie tells you what it is with the premise, and even then I was surprised at how graphic this can be. More than that, Nathan's lack of reaction to injuries is always unsettling, making it even worse.
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