The opening scenes of 'Reptile' show real estate developer Will having some uneasy exchanges with his realtor girlfriend Summer. The following night he gets a message asking him to meet her at a vacant property, and arrives to find she has been murdered with extreme violence. The initial police investigation zeroes in on Will, but the case gets murkier when it's revealed Summer had a bitter ex-husband, while a former client holds a grudge against Will.
All this is just the introductory passage, after which homicide detective Tom Nichols sets to work and finds additional complications. With the plot unfolding at an unhurried pace, Nichols' nuanced relationship with his wife Judy is given unusual prominence for a neo-noir mystery movie. The rest of the excellent cast is well up to the task of portraying individuals being devious and antagonistic as Nichols ruffles the feathers of his suspects and colleagues. 'Reptile' is a thoroughly professional debut by a first time director which offers several modest innovations to the genre.
All this is just the introductory passage, after which homicide detective Tom Nichols sets to work and finds additional complications. With the plot unfolding at an unhurried pace, Nichols' nuanced relationship with his wife Judy is given unusual prominence for a neo-noir mystery movie. The rest of the excellent cast is well up to the task of portraying individuals being devious and antagonistic as Nichols ruffles the feathers of his suspects and colleagues. 'Reptile' is a thoroughly professional debut by a first time director which offers several modest innovations to the genre.