I love a good film noir, and Reptile, having its World Premiere at TIFF, definitely falls into that category. Being released by Netflix (which means if you can’t see it on the silver screen you;ll be able to see it on your big screen at home in October) the film is a tightly wound spring that is a beautifully dark exploration of real estate, narcotics, murder and police work.

When police detective Tom Nichols (Benicio Del Toro) gets assigned a murder case involving a dead realtor, he’s determined to investigate the leads, red herrings and the clues no matter where they lead. There’s no shortage of suspects including the victim’s current lover, Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), her husband (Karl Glusman), and Eli (Micheal Pitt), an eccentric who blames the Grady Realtors for the death of his father, and the loss of their home.

With the help of his wife, Judy (Alicia Silverstone), Tom tries to navigate the twists and turns of the investigation to discover the truth, and the audience is delivered a top-notch noir as a result.

The camera work, population of the frame, photography, production design and lighting all lend to give the film a very tense, imposing, almost intimidating sensation. It’s dark, almost overpowering, and the use of tight close-ups keeps everyone on edge.

Each twist, each clue, each reveal leads to new possibilities, and in the best noir tradition no one is completely innocent, nothing is completely what it appears to be, and no one is above suspicion. Grant Singer directs this tense murder mystery which he also wrote alongside Del Toro and Benjamin Brewer, and it’s obvious from every plot point, every line of dialogue, and every glance that the creative team behind the film loves the genre they are working in, and were determined to deliver a smart, darkly sly thriller that is very home in the gray shaded world of the film noir.

Reptile screens Friday 8 September at The Princess of Wales Theatre, Saturday 9 September at the Lightbox, and Friday 15 September at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. Explore the schedule and ticket options for your TIFF experience here.

And if you miss it at the Festival make sure you check it out on Netflix when it drops on 6th October.