Movie review: 'Novocaine' gives chase films a different kind of punch

If “Novocaine” had been made 20, 30 years ago, Tom Hanks definitely would have been its star.

Now, Jack Quaid is the gangly leading man of choice and he handles it well.

He’s the assistant manager at a branch bank that has the great misfortune of being robbed during the holidays.

Because he has a thing for one of the employees, he doesn’t want them to take her hostage after they’ve gathered up the cash. Rather than call the cops, he tracks the getaway car and runs into several harrowing situations. What makes them interesting is his inability to feel pain. Quaid’s Nate Caine has a genetic disorder that allows him to stick his hand into a boiling vat of oil, withstand arrows and have his fingernails yanked.

That means he’s more than willing to chase the Santa Claus thieves just about anywhere – including a home that’s rigged to stop intruders. Others refer to it as the “Home Alone” house and it’s not far off. This place has boobytraps Macauley Culkin didn’t even dream of loading.

Smartly directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, “Novocaine” has a cartoon feel to its violence. It’s bloody (and oftentimes difficult to watch) but it never seems to slow the road runner trying to track down the wily coyote.

Quaid still has a bit of the swagger he exhibits in “The Boys” but, here, he’s not exactly one who would entertain disaster. When the film begins, we see how he has safe-proofed his home and office so he doesn’t get hurt and how he begs off from eating cherry pie because he might inadvertently bite off his tongue.

All he needs is the threat of losing his one office friend and he’s loaded and ready to go. When he doesn’t have her to call on, he reaches out to a fellow gamer and discovers how friendship has varying definitions.

Amber Midthunder as Sherry, the hostage, has attractive qualities but you’re never quite sure if she’d return the favor if the tables were reversed. Still, he presses on, risking gunshots and permanent damage just to see this case through.

While cops show up at some point, they’re unable to stop his chase or rely on his intel. Instead, they follow his lead and uncover more than anyone had bargained for.

The film moves quickly and never gets too deadly to make this seem like a case of bait-and-switch. It’s funny near the end, too, and gives everyone guilty of some crime (Nate included) appropriate sentencing.

Quaid makes all of this work and isn’t afraid to hang upside down, bounce around in an ambulance or work his way through a dangerous kitchen just to keep the audience occupied.

He embraces his character’s innocence, as well, and makes you understand moves that most would avoid. “Novocaine” isn’t as painless as the dental drug (that needle is a killer), but it does explain how pain is a relative term.