Grant Singer leads with emotion in his neo-noir feature debut, starring Benicio del Toro, Alicia Silverstone, and Justin Timberlake.
Crime, the heinous acts people commit at one another’s expense, is a subject of endless fascination and has been for centuries. For filmmaker Grant Singer, though, the topic hits especially hard, his uncle having been killed when Singer was just five years old. “I became distinctly aware then that anything can happen at any moment,” he says now.
That formative experience helped shape Singer’s worldview, and it informed the writer-director's live-wire feature film debut, the noir-soaked procedural Reptile, which centers on the investigation into a gruesome murder that rocks the tranquility of an idyllic suburb. The film sees hardened homicide detective Tom Nichols tasked with finding the culprit, but the confounding case proves to be the most complex of his career. Easy answers are elusive, and every new clue seems to point in a different direction.
“In America, we have a fascination with violence and true crime,” Singer says. “What makes certain stories resonant oftentimes is how much we don’t know, how much is left to our imagination. [I wanted to] make a film that is satisfying while still leaving things for interpretation, a film that explored the unknowable aspects of crime, and one that questions our inherent trust in authority.”
Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro)
Having spent most of the last decade directing commercials and music videos for the likes of Sam Smith and The Weeknd, Singer fashioned Reptile’s early drafts himself. One of those drafts made it into the hands of Oscar-winning actor Benicio Del Toro. The venerable performer, known for such films as Traffic, 21 Grams, and Sicario, was drawn in by its unpredictability and eagerly signed on to play the starring role. “There were a couple of what I like to call ‘oh, shit’ moments that compelled me to get involved,” Del Toro says, adding of his character Nichols, “He’s a man of destiny. Through everything, he remains true to himself.”
Del Toro was so invested that he took the remarkable step of collaborating with Singer on an updated version of script, alongside co-writer Benjamin Brewer — Reptile marks the actor’s first feature screenplay credit. “What you get with Benicio is truth, someone who actually cares about depicting something with integrity,” Singer says. “You get honesty, you get sincerity, you get conviction, you get passion.”
As they worked, they would often talk extensively about the movies that inspired them: The Conversation, In Cold Blood, Zodiac, In the Bedroom, to name a few. “At one point during pre-production, Benicio started calling me ‘Vertigo’ because I was going on and on about Hitchcock’s Vertigo,” jokes Singer. Adds Del Toro: “It’s good to be with someone like Grant who knows film.” While the cinematic reference points provided a shared language, the creative team always remained focused on creating a gripping genre narrative that felt both believably grounded and ceaselessly original.
Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro) and Judy (Alicia Silverstone)
In trying moments, Detective Nichols turns to his wife, Judy (Alicia Silverstone), for support and for her observations and insights. “Judy is involved in Nichols’ work,” Del Toro says. “She’s like a partner. She’s kind of like Nichols’ home coach.” Del Toro recommended Alicia Silverstone for the role, having worked with her 26 years ago on the film Excess Baggage. “The second we got on with her, it just felt natural, and it was an incredible experience,” says Singer. “She brings a different kind of authenticity. She inhabits every moment.” Although it had been nearly three decades since the pair last shared a scene, Silverstone felt an immediate chemistry with Del Toro. “There’s a deep mutual respect and appreciation, so that makes it work well,” Silverstone says. “There are a lot of layers and levels to their relationship, and that is gratifying to play.”
Initial evidence in the case points to the victim’s boyfriend, Will Grady, played by Oscar-nominated musician and actor Justin Timberlake, who recalls being unable to put down the script, tearing through it until he learned the characters’ fates. “It’s rare that you read something that can feel so suspenseful and uncomfortable in a good way,” says Timberlake.
The multi-hyphenate was keen to portray a character targeted by law enforcement while reeling from grief. “He has to react to his integrity [being] questioned while his life is falling apart in real time,” Timberlake says. “There’s so much that’s out of control for Will, and I liked the idea of playing a character that has to constantly react to the unpredictability of what’s thrown his direction. Those are enthralling moments to be in as an actor.”
Will Grady (Justin Timberlake)
Reptile simmers as it watches its characters navigate terrifying uncertainty, able to rely only on their own impulses and intuitions to protect themselves from the evil lurking beneath the surface. On set, Singer took pains to offer his actors a safe environment while working with them to elicit performances that would crackle with intensity on screen. “The way I approach film, and even directing, is through feeling and emotion,” says the filmmaker.
There’s no question that tensions run high as the film’s central mystery boils over, raising more “unknowable” questions and teasing life-altering consequences. That ambiguity is entirely by design, Singer notes. “I knew I wanted to make a movie that when it ended, there was this sort of resolution, but it was something that you can talk about with your friends or family members,” says the filmmaker. “It’s calibrating that right balance of feeling satisfied — you just watched something that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair out — but also not answering every single question.”
So, truer to life. “In these movies, you can’t really trust anyone,” says Singer.
All content featured in this piece was captured in accordance with guild guidelines.
