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Those of us who remember the old Steve Martin - the "wild and crazy guy" whose wacky antics made "The Jerk" and "The Man with Two Brains" such guilty pleasures - regard his new serious persona as novelist, actor and urbane Oscar host with dismay. You can't help feeling he is neglecting his true calling as a farceur and physical comedian.
In David Atkins' edgy thriller "Novocaine", he stars as prosperous dentist Frank Sangster, a man coasting along in his successful LA practice and about to marry his doting oral hygenist Jean (Dern). Martin underplays so much he's virtually invisible, so much so it's hard to credit his transformation into a wanted man after an unlikely liaison with a femme fatale patient (Bonham Carter) who is out to get his supply of prescription drugs.
Thankfully, this Hitchcockian yarn compensates for its leading man's rather anonymous performance with some well-placed shocks, a morbid sense of humour, and a climax that will literally put your teeth on edge. It also has a scene-stealing turn from Bonham Carter that represents another step away from the Laura Ashley costume roles of old.
Martin's Chandler-esque voiceover is a self-conscious homage to film noirs like "Double Indemnity" and "The Big Sleep", but "Novocaine" ultimately lacks the bite of those black-and-white classics. Curiously, in a picture with more than its fair share of blood and gore, it is Kevin Bacon's fleeting walk-on as a Hollywood method actor that makes the most lasting impression.
