Netflix film Reptile has become the streaming service’s most-watched title – and it’s being reccomended by viewers for one reason in particular.
The crime thriller, which was directed by debut filmmaker Grant Singer, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on 7 September before its eventual addition to the streaming service on 29 September.
Since then, it has risen through the ranks to become the Netflix’s most-streamed film. And while the movie has divided critics, viewers are in agreement over one key point: it’s worth watching for the performance of Benicio del Toro alone.
In Reptile, the actor, who co-wrote the film alongside Singer and Benjamin Brewer, plays a hardened detctive who tries to uncover the truth after the brutal murder of a young real estate agent in Scarborough, Maine.
Also starring in the film are Justin Timberlake, Alicia Silverstone and Michael Pitt, but it is del Toro’s performance that is looming in the memory long after the credits roll.
“Benicio Del Toro continues to remind us why he’s one cool customer and among our greatest actors,” one viewer wrote, with another adding: “REPTILE is an okay movie with a really great Benicio del Toro performance”.
One Netflix user called the actor, who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Steven Soderbergh’s 2001 film Traffic, “endlessly fascinating”, with another adding: “Benicio Del Toro gives one hell of a performance here.”
An additional viewer said del Toro’s character “is my favorite screen cop in a long, long time”, with another stating: “Reptile has several holes in the plot, but such a pleasure watching Benicio Del Toro.”
The film is del Toro's first role since 2021, when he starred in Soderbergh's No Sudden Move and Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch.
Benicio del Toro in ‘Reptile’— (Netflix)
Find the full list of every movie and TV show being added to Netflix this month here, and everything being removed here.
Reptile is available to stream on Netflix now.
