Movie of the Week
No pain, all gain
In the thriller ‘Novocaine’, Jack Quaid plays a man incapable of feeling pain, who fights to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend.
Jack Quaid stars in the new action thriller Novocaine as Nathan Caine, a man with a rare condition that prevents him from feeling pain. When Caine’s girlfriend is taken hostage during a bank robbery, he embarks on a dangerous rescue mission.
Caine is a reserved man who leads an uneventful life as an assistant manager at a credit union in San Diego. When his co-worker Sherry Margrave takes an interest in him, he struggles to navigate the relationship due to his condition and inexperience.
On Christmas Eve, a gang of robbers dressed as Santa Claus targets his bank, taking Sherry hostage. Determined to save her, Caine sets out on a reckless pursuit, facing dangerous criminals and uncovering unexpected truths. As the chaos unfolds, he is pushed beyond his limits, discovering strength he never knew he had.
Caine’s condition, congenital insensitivity to pain (CIP), is real but extremely rare. Caine uses it to his advantage, retrieving a weapon from boiling oil and fighting despite glass shards in his knuckles.
Outside of Novacaine, Quaid stars as Hughie Campbell in The Boys, and Josh in Companion. He voices Clark Kent in My Adventures with Superman, and several characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks.
Caine’s girlfriend, Sherry, is played by Amber Midthunder – known as Naru in Prey, and the voice of Princess Yue in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The cast includes Jacob Batalon (Ned in Spider-Man franchise), Ray Nicholson (Smile 2), Betty Gabriel (Get Out, Upgrade), and Matt Walsh (The Hangover, Into the Storm).
Novocaine is directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen. It is screening in Ster-Kinekor cinemas from tomorrow (21 March 2025).
