"Reptile": 14 Bullets, 134 Minutes of Tension

In the movie "Reptile," there are only two gunfights.

At the 55th minute, there are eight gunshots, and at the 120th minute, six bullets are fired. The total number of deaths is five.

In comparison, there are more than 300 bullets fired and over 227 deaths in the widely popular movie "John Wick 4" released this year.

One might think this is not a fair comparison as the former is a crime movie while the latter is an action movie. Actually, I am not arguing which of these two movies is better. I just want to show that the level of tension in a movie is not proportionate to its intensity of violence. Indeed, "John Wick 4" is a great action movie, but when it comes to evoking tension in me, "Reptile" does it better.

Tension is critically important in any story.

Imagine a regular five-minute scene where three people sit around a table to talk about their day. Suddenly, a bomb explodes, destroying the entire building, and the audience is shocked. This is not a way to create tension in screenwriting. However, given the same setting, everything changes when the bomb under the table is shown to the audience before the characters take their seats. The audience will listen carefully to every word they say, watch every move of theirs, and anticipate what is going to happen next. Now, the audience is completely captivated by the plot.

I believe the main reason why "Reptile" stands out as one of the few outstanding crime movies I have seen lately is because it creates a lot of tension. There are three factors that contribute to this: the portrayal of the duality of human nature, the feeling of insecurity instilled by the unassuming antagonist hiding in the dark, and the haggard but decisive and courageous detective, Tom, played by Benicio del Toro.

Duality of Human Nature

Although the movie is named "Reptile," a real reptile is shown only once at the start of the movie and it is a snake’s shed skin.

This can be interpreted as three different metaphors.

First, let's talk about an interesting phenomenon in the natural world. When snakes shed their skin, they expend a lot of energy and their bodies become somewhat stiff. During this time, the snakes are calm, gentle, thin, weak, and rarely attack people. However, they quickly regain the energy they had lost after that and can become very aggressive.

The villains in "Reptile" appear to behave similarly. Initially, they are Tom’s close friends who became vulnerable after their wives were murdered. They appear friendly and harmless and resemble snakes that have not shed their skins.

As the story progresses and Detective Tom slowly uncovers the truth, these bad guys try to disguise themselves as victims, pretending to be weak and helpless， like snakes that are shedding skin.

As Tom reveals more truths, they show their true colors and become aggressive, like snakes after shedding their skin. They initially find a scapegoat to stop Tom from conducting further inquiries and to quickly close the case. This is when the eight gunshots are heard. When they discover that Tom is still investigating, he and his family start receiving various threats, which is a lead-up to the ultimate violent and intense shootout.

The way these bad guys change from being gentle to fierce , and the accurate depiction of humans’ two-facedness, sends a chill down my spine, and this is the first metaphor in "Reptile."

This chilling sensation creates suspense in the film, which in turn creates tension.

Feeling of Insecurity

Now let's discuss the second metaphor. We will start with the dried snakeskin shown at the beginning of the movie. The sighting of the snakeskin confirms that there is a snake in the room, but we do not know where it is hiding. Interestingly, the snake never appears in the entire film.

Danger is always present, but it is not discernible so I do not know when and how it will appear.

Looking at the film as a whole, the villains are deeply hidden like snakes, which makes me feel greatly insecure. This is shown through the indescribable resistance that Tom faces throughout the investigation process. This resistance is not perceptible in a particular scene, but is showcased through sophisticated audiovisual techniques and details, which enhances the film's quality.

The way the suspect first appears in the movie demonstrates the director's filmmaking skills. When Tom and his partner decide to conduct a covert investigation of the suspect, they discover that he has already been observing them for a long time. In this particular scene, the detectives are situated at a lower position to suggest their vulnerability, while the suspect is located on a higher ground, indicating that he has an edge over them. As viewers, we are unable to see the suspect's face, but we can sense the pressure of being stared at from above/stared down.

While Tom looks for clues, his colleague surprises him from behind and playfully pokes his eye/ pokes his eye in a sneak attack from behind (it is later revealed that this colleague is one of the villains). Although it is just a prank, it hints at the different unexpected challenges/ambushes that detectives might encounter during their investigation.

When Tom's evil coworker realizes that the former’s investigation is still ongoing, he casually asks him, "What's the difference between me and you?" It may appear like a casual conversation but the director uses a close-up shot that briefly shows the sinister face of Tom’s seemingly amicable coworker, which strongly intimidates Tom and the audience like myself.

There are many other similar ingenious details, which I will not specifically mention here.

These details involve Tom’s actual enemies, while others involve his suspected enemies. They effectively capture anomalies in everyday sightings from the main character's point of view. Overall, it gives me a sense that Detective Tom is constantly in danger and that something is amiss, but I cannot accurately identify the true villains.

This feeling of insecurity may be the second intended message, which further enhances the tension in the movie.

Snake-like Detective Tom

Snakes have a unique way of hunting. Unlike other animals, they do not bite off and chew their prey’s flesh. Instead, they swallow it whole.

Detective Tom calmly and patiently observes while waiting for the crucial moment to make an accurate and lethal aim at his enemies— this is his “hunting” style. Although he looks old and weak, his tired eyes are sharp. The director even specially arranged a seconds-long firearm training scene to showcase his marksmanship. During Tom’s investigation, fragments of his past come to light. It turns out that he was a detective in a big city but ended up in this small town because of a mistake. He was able to regain his detective status through his wife's connections.

Despite his experience, old age and memory loss give him emotional pressure, preventing him from fully unleashing his abilities. This flawed but talented detective makes me constantly worried throughout the movie whether or not he will ultimately win, which adds to the overall tension.

Tension peaks when Tom makes his strike. He knows his weaknesses, so he avoids being on the offense and exercises prudence. He spends most of his time quietly watching and only makes his shot at crucial moments, similar to how a snake hunts for its prey.

Out of the 14 bullets fired, five are by Tom. One of them hits and kills the suspect, another goes through a corrupt police officer, and the remaining three wipe out the main antagonist, Wally, who has been hiding in the shadows. He used to be Tom's close friend and colleague.

Detective Tom is the third metaphor in "Reptile," symbolizing a snake-like, predatory nature.

The battle between the detectives and their equally strong enemies makes "Reptile" an incredibly intense movie.

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