Novocaine

What’s it about?

When the girl of his dreams is kidnapped, assistant bank manager Nate Caine uses his rare inability to feel pain as a surprising advantage, taking on a gang of thugs to rescue her.

The facts

• Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen
• Stars Jack Quaid (Companion), Amber Midthunder (Prey), Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Ray Nicholson (Smile 2)
• English language
• Runtime: 109 minutes

Why did it get this rating?

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about classification process and ratings here.

Graphic violence

Characters are hurt and killed in many ways with a lot of blood spray, bone crushing and other graphic body injuries. The violence is done in an over-the-top way with the intention to shock viewers, and in some scenes, humour minimises its effect.

Some of the stronger moments of violence include:

• A character snaps another character’s hand off, exposing the bone. The broken bone is later shoved through someone’s skull.
• A character punches glass to lodge it into his own knuckles and then uses them to slash another character's eyes.
• A character is shot in the leg by an arrow, which goes through to the other side.
• A character’s fingernails are pulled off one by one, which you see up close, but the scene is dampened by comedy
• You see a close up of a gunshot wound, which is sliced open to remove the bullet.
• A character deliberately snaps their own thumb backwards with a fire extinguisher to dislocate it.

Offensive language

Novocaine contains frequent offensive language including “f**k”, “motherf**ker”, “sh*t”, “bullsh*t”, “asshole” and “son of a bitch.”

Suicide and self-harm references 

A character casually says that some of their classmates are “cutters” while others are “suicidal.” Later we see scars on their torso. While suicide and self-harm are not central to the film, these scenes may be upsetting for some viewers

Sexual references

Sex is implied when a character straddles another on a couch. Nothing explicit is shown. There are a couple of sexual references, including a character being asked if they can “feel pleasure.”

When content stays with you:

We all have our boundaries, and it’s completely okay if something you’ve watched is weighing on your mind. If certain content lingers with you, consider having a chat with friends or whānau to debrief about what you’ve just seen. But if you’re still feeling affected, please reach out to any of the following helplines for support.

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?