MovieChat Forums > Reptile (2023) Discussion > On a second re-watch even more questions...

On a second re-watch even more questions.....(SPOILERS)

posted 7 months ago by TruMovieFan (1970)
10 replies | jump to latest

In watching Reptile again, (which I do suggest because it allows a viewer to see different things and to focus on things that deserve more focus but may have been overlooked on the initial viewing), other questions have emerged.

For one, I'm assuming that Will (Timberlake) and Wally (Lombardozzi) killed Eli (Pitt) and disposed of the body, and believe this was indicated by Del Toro (Nichols) finding the empty bottle of bleach and no Eli. Though, I'm surprised this plot point was then sort of dropped.

Next, I do not think Will killed Summer. I think that was Wally and this is because, recall, Will was with the other man signing closing papers, and not only that, he had no blood on his clothes at all and her body was drenched with blood. This could have just been a mistake by the makers because he did admit to giving Summer CPR (and his clothes still did not have blood on them). But also, recall, someone unknown entered the house while Will was with that other man. I think Will came back and found her still alive and either waited for her to die or maybe helped her demise.

A second viewing also allows so many other tiny subtleties to be caught - for example, Nichols removing his earring on the way to the murder scene, which I took to symbolize that recreation time is over and replaced with work time (but then later, the earring is left in).

Then, all of the sideways glances, glares, pauses, and acting nuances that become more clear.

Anyway, I do think this is one of those movies that grows on additional viewing and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the director is one of those people that has a dislike for making everything in a film obvious.

[–] DancingintheDark (1266) 7 months ago

Will Grady as the killer has me scratching my head as well, for one, there is a flash of him standing in front of her dead body, while she is still breathing and it is presented to us in a most ominous manner. But, why would he volunteer for a lie detector test if he murdered her? Was the flash of him standing over her just a hypothetical scenario the director included or is it meant to be taken definitively.
Also, there are moments when Will appears to be detached from the incident all together, as in, maybe he had no part in her death what so ever but Wally killed her to tie up loose ends.
He appears to be genuinely traumatized by her death at times, firstly in the detective house walkthrough and then when the cpl do the walkthrough but only to relive Summer’s death to get off sexually, sick fucks…
So I’m at a loss for what Will’s role was, at the very least he contributed to Summer’s death inadvertently and the guy was most certainly a twisted fuck, he had Eli murdered, most likely right in front of him.

Here’s the big question, what was up with the bite marks?!?
Is there any tie in whatsoever to anything else presented to us in the film, similar to the snake skin shedding that Summer finds and Nichols shedding his hand bandage at the end.

[–] TruMovieFan (1970) 7 months ago

Ah, the bite mark question is interesting. Maybe it was just another red herring or a way to bring the concept of a "reptile" into the atmosphere.

I think that Wally was the enforcer of the group and he was the one that killed Summer for the group and Will got there a bit too early and maybe was a bit frustrated that she had not died yet. And again, when they spoke of how many times she had been stabbed, he should have had blood on his clothes (and even from the CPR he said he administered).

Gosh, you know, one thinks of even more questions the more one thinks about this film. For example, why would Robert (Bogosian) tell Nichols to get out, then go up the stairs and tell Wally that he knows everything before being killed by Wally? I mean, what is the purpose of that?

Maybe many of these issues were caused by a first-time director.

Another poster replied that the use of hot wax is done to relieve hand and joint pain/discomfort. So maybe that was a metaphor for Nichols had done his job and eradicated the skin of corruption and tomorrow is another day.

[–] almonigal (1120) 7 months ago

Maybe I misunderstood the movie, but Robert was the uncle of his wife.

And he wanted to protect him, as pictured in the conversation with Wally, previous evening, concerning keeping his mouth shut.

Wally just had a conversation later in the night with the boss and they decided both of them must go, they would assume Robert would turn on them later.

[–] almonigal (1120) 7 months ago

Maybe many of these issues were caused by a first-time director.

This one I totally agree with. The movie was very hard to digest, and the pacing sucked.
The style is same as Wind River, but much worse.
The plot is good, the acting is good, but the direction or maybe editing or maybe the general tone just put me off hard. If not for BdT, I wouldnt try to watch this. (Also, JT is actually a good actor)

[–] TruMovieFan (1970) 7 months ago

Have you seen Del Toro in A Perfect Day? I've always loved his acting, but that movie really cemented my appreciation for his acting. And to me, he is one of those rare actors that is able to communicate so much with just his facial and body language and I loved that in Reptile - he "spoke" volumes with just his facial expressions.

[–] almonigal (1120) 7 months ago

Nope. I was actually looking for a movie to watch tonight lol. Thanks!

[–] TruMovieFan (1970) 7 months ago

I hope you like it as much as I do.

[–] almonigal (1120) 7 months ago

Dude, I saw that movie.
So feel good movie, so nice style of humour. Thanks for the suggestion !

[–] almonigal (1120) 7 months ago

And yeah, your comment made me think of The Way of the Gun.

He has so few spoken lines there, yet he communicates so much via body language.

He is not an underrated actor, I think most people would agree he is one o the best, but he is under casted. I blame this on his agent tbh.

I would find him perfect in so many movies. I hoped he would be in Villeneuve's Dune, or at least part 2, but tough luck.

[–] lemner (190) 7 months ago

It was very noticeable that Will had no blood on him. The cops may have had him change so they could take charge of his clothes, which would have been evidence. The CPR may have been cover to explain the blood on the clothes the cops would have found him in. I thought he must have committed the murder and then come back after cleaning himself up to pretend he was just finding her.
They didn't tie it up, but the hidden car might have been what identified Will as the killer.