Reptile is Netflix’s latest thriller which covers a murder mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It's the directorial debut of director Grant Singer and let us tell you that he did more than a great job. The film’s mystery may appear as easy to solve at first, but we quickly discover that it is quite the opposite. Filled with plot twists, Reptile will keep you guessing till the end. The film follows detective Tom Nichols (Benicio del Toro) who investigates the murder of a real estate agent called Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz).
At first, you will find it weird that the mystery is “solved” quickly, but then we see how Tom doesn't believe that the case is truly solved. Along with his wife Judy (Alicia Silverstone), Tom discovers that this case has a lot more behind it than he thought. They discover new evidence and Tom quickly unravels a conspiracy that led to the terrible murder of Summer. He suddenly can't trust those around him and his entire life is shaken with betrayal. Because Reptile is filled with unexpected turns, here is its ending, explained.
What Exactly Happened to Summer?
At the beginning of Reptile, we see a couple who work in the same field, both of them are real estate agents, and they were working on a property at that time. The couple are Will Grady (Justin Timberlake) and Summer. We can see the tension rising in their relationship and we quickly find out that Summer is having an affair. This detail makes us point our fingers at Will as soon as Summer is murdered, but how was she murdered exactly?
The murder takes place a few days later as Summer heads to the same property we saw at the beginning. We then see how Will receives a text from Summer where she tells him to go there. When Will reaches the property, he finds Summer murdered in a gruesome way as she has been stabbed several times until her death. After that, the investigation starts and many suspects appear to us and to Tom as well.
Tom and his partner, Dan Cleary (Ato Essandoh), are called to the crime scene and of course, they question Will whom Tom suspects was the one behind the murder. During the investigation, a neighbor disclosed that they saw a car pulling up to the property and they identified it as a Buick.
Now the car type may seem trivial at first, but such a small detail plays a major role later in Reptile. As we first mentioned, Tom’s wife, Judy, would point out some things about the murder scene which would later help him significantly. One such thing is that the car type is actually a Chrysler and not a Buick.
Who Are the Suspects?
Of course, like any murder mystery, our eyes will focus on the boyfriend as the main suspect especially since we know that Summer was having an affair. Therefore, Will is definitely a suspect as jealousy is a reason for murder. We also have another suspect called Eli (Michael Pitt) who we can almost classify as a stalker of Will and Summer. Eli hates them, and we quickly find out that this hatred is because Will and his mother Camille (Frances Fisher) were the ones behind Eli’s family losing their house.
Unfortunately, this event led to the death of Eli’s father as he committed suicide because of it. Therefore, revenge is a motive as to why Eli could have killed Summer. At the same time, what Will and his mother did to Eli and his family makes us suspect that they aren't as good of a people as they might seem.
Another plot twist in Reptile is when we discover that Summer was with Will while she also had a husband named Sam (Karl Glusman); they have yet to divorce. Sam quickly becomes the main suspect as his alibi is weak and the evidence from the crime scene points to him. For example, Summer had paint stains on the inside of her hand and Sam also had paint on him.
Did Sam Kill Summer?
Now that the evidence points to Sam, the police focus on him rather than the other two suspects. What makes Reptile special is that it makes us suspect one person only to be proved wrong later, and this is what one would expect from a murder mystery. We are convinced that Sam is the one who killed Summer when we find out that the DNA at the crime scene matches his.
The police also find sem*n on Summer’s body which also turns out to be Sam’s. However, another unexpected turn is introduced as Sam justifies why all of this evidence points to him. The affair Summer was having was actually with Sam; they were still together.
However, due to the evidence against him, Tom and his partner don't believe him for a second so they proceed to arrest him. Things turn out badly for Sam as he takes Dan’s gun which leads to Sam being shot and killed. However, he isn't as innocent as he claimed since Tom and Dan find a large amount of heroin at Sam’s place.
The police proceed to declare the case closed with Sam being the murderer, but like any good detective, Tom doesn't believe that Sam is the murderer, especially with the heroin they found. He thinks about it and believes that Sam stole Dan’s gun and used it because he didn't want them to find the heroin and not because he killed Summer.
How Eli Gets Involved
In another plot twist, we see Eli breaking into Tom and Judy’s house and he holds her hostage. He then proceeds to give Tom a USB flash drive which he claims proves that Will and his mother, Camille, aren't innocent at all. Through the USB and Tom’s persistent investigation, he discovers that Eli is telling the truth. Everything that Tom finds leads to him discovering that Will and his mother are running a scam and they had Summer involved without her knowing.
Whenever Summer was selling a house, Will and those who worked with him would plant it with drugs so the house would be forfeited and later bought by a company called White Fish. Later on, White Fish company will let Will sell the houses again which made Summer leave without gaining any commission. When she discovers their plan, she threatens to tell the FBI which leads to her murder.
Tom Can't Trust Anyone
Tom finds out that one of his best friends who also works with him, Wally (Domenick Lombardozzi), owns the company involved in the scam along with Will, and through the company, they would circulate the money so no one suspects them. This also explains how they planted drugs in the houses as Wally would provide drugs from any drugs they confiscated from crime scenes. The shocking events continue as Tom discovers that Wally isn't the only one involved.
Tom is invited to his captain’s, Robert Allen's (Eric Bogosian), and also his best friend’s birthday party. Remember how Judy noticed that the car seen at the crime scene was a Chrysler? We finally discover why such a detail was important. Tom finds the same car at Allen’s garage and when asked about it, Allen simply says that he was keeping the car for someone. This is enough to make Tom realize that Allen was also involved in everything that was happening.
The Plot Twists Continue
Now that Tom found out how his colleagues and friends were involved in Summer’s murder and the scam, he knows that Allen realized that he figured everything out. Tom is paranoid as he realizes that he and Judy are now in danger, especially since his friends are capable of doing all these terrible crimes. As Tom tells Judy to pack her bag probably to get ready to disappear, Allen calls Tom and tells him to come over the next day so he can explain everything. For an unknown reason, Tom agrees despite how we just saw him afraid for his and Judy’s lives.
You would think that Tom made a wise decision when he decided to tell the police chief, Marty Graeber (Mike Pniewski), about everything that happened and how Allen was corrupt. He also asked him to go with him to Allen’s so he wouldn't be on his own. Tom even hands him the USB flash drive to prove his point.
We quickly realize that this wasn't a great decision as Tom goes the next day to Allen’s house along with Marty. We feel intense tension between the characters and we get ready for whatever is coming next. When Marty goes to the bathroom, Allen tries to do something right and he tells Tom to run since he gave them the USB flash drive.
At this moment, we, along with Tom, realize that even Marty is involved. Things escalate quickly as we find out that Wally is also there and he shoots and kills Allen. Tom then goes to confront Marty and he kills him before Marty starts shooting. Then Tom and Wally are facing each other as the tension rises even more.
A Frisbee hits one of the house’s windows which causes a shootout to take place between the two. Tom manages to shoot Wally who lies there begging Tom to finish it, but Tom calls 911. Luckily, after everything that took place at the house, Tom only has a small wound. In the end, we see Will playing golf as he thinks that he got away with his scam, but the FBI goes up to him and arrests him.
Why It's Called Reptile
Like almost every movie that ever existed, the film’s name has a meaning behind it. While we don't see reptiles in the film, the name has an important meaning behind it that relates to everything that takes place. We know that reptiles are famous for shedding their skins and this element is seen throughout the film. Reptile is filled with corruption and betrayal which Tom has to go through during all the events. People aren't like what they seem and many of those whom Tom trusted turned out to be completely different.
Related: These Are the Best Benicio del Toro Performances, Ranked
As the events progress, we see the true characters of many in the film like Wally, Allen, and Marty. This is exactly the same as reptiles shedding their skins. The characters themselves also shed their skins and by the end of Reptile, we see their true characters. Friends turn out to be enemies and greed is seen everywhere. Through seeing the true characters of everyone involved, we understand why the film is called Reptile.
The Significance of the Frisbee
Right before the shootout between Tom and Wally, we see how a Frisbee hits one of the windows which in turn leads to the two of them shooting each other. Why exactly was this scene added and what is the significance of the Frisbee? Singer talked with RadioTimes.com where he explained why he added this moment in the film. When describing the Frisbee moment, Singer said “there are these like, acts of God in the movie.”
“We really like this idea of this act of God occurring in the standoff between these two characters. And the frisbee... well, first of all, the frisbee is motivated by just these kids playing right outside the house. And this idea that kids playing was like a really... I think a nice metaphor, a nice counterpoint to what is going to occur inside the house."
By now, we know the contrast between the shootout and the kids playing outside, but Singer went even further in explaining it by saying “You have this really tense, devastating conversation, moment, experience, convergence that's going to occur, and then outside you have this playfulness of just young people, young kids just having a good time. ” However, Singer also mentioned another importance of that scene and it had to do with the fact that Reptile is his directorial debut.
“The idea is that I'm the kids playing. This is my first movie, I'm just enjoying myself, I'm just playing and this is my thing. And then the moment when the kids look and make eye contact with Benicio in the window, that's me making eye contact with my lead actor, that's a moment where like the filmmaker and the actor have this moment of connection."
What Is the Significance of Reptile’s Ending?
Reptile is a special kind of movie that has plot twists at every turn and they take place when you least expect them. After we witnessed the unexpected ending, the question of what are the consequences comes next. We can tell how Tom was shaken by everything that took place and how it cost him a lot. He may not have any physical injuries, but he is definitely hurt on an emotional level. The film showed how corruption and greed can blind people and turn them against those closest to them. From Will probably killing his girlfriend, to how Wally and Allen betrayed Tom. Even Marty was involved.
Tom will need to heal after everything he went through and it will probably take some time. After all, he discovered how he was surrounded by liars and that he didn't really know his friends. At the end of the day, he is still a human. We see how he enjoys the new faucet at the end of the movie as he and Judy finish remodeling their kitchen.
This moment shows us that Tom is a normal human who enjoys the simple things in life. He isn't greedy like his colleagues and that is what makes him different. The small details and clues in Reptile is what makes it such a special and successful movie.
