Netflix’s No. 1 Hit ‘Reptile’: Crazy Ending Explained

Netflix’s new crime thriller Reptile, starring Benicio Del Toro, 56, as a former big-city police detective investigating a young Maine real estate agent’s brutal murder, quickly became its number 1 movie, with 17 million views. It’s a sleeper hit, hated by most critics and not heavily publicized like a blockbuster.

But it’s no mystery why 74 percent of viewers liked it on Rotten Tomatoes. Grant Singer, who cowrote the script with Del Toro and Benjamin Brewer, hits all the elements of classic film noir: a twisty plot with multiple suspects, an intrusive musical score and a shockingly violent ending, where a Frisbee plays a decisive role. And Del Toro — who got a best supporting actor Oscar for Traffic, a nomination for 21 Grams and a best actor win at Cannes for Che — delivers a terrific performance as a taciturn cop who becomes even more guarded as he begins to suspect that just about everyone may be in on a giant criminal conspiracy — even his wife (spunky Clueless star Alicia Silverstone)!

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The movie’s ending, however, left some viewers feeling bewildered, flung by the hairpin turn of one fast plot twist too many. AARP hereby clarifies the meaning of Netflix’s hottest, out-of-nowhere hit.

Warning: Big spoilers ahead!

Who are the suspects?

At first, Del Toro’s Detective Tom Nichols zeroes in on three likely stabbers of Summer Elswick (Matilda Lutz). There’s Summer’s boyfriend, Will Grady (Justin Timberlake), who works with Summer at his family’s real estate agency. There’s Summer’s heroin-dealer ex, Sam (Karl Glusman). And there’s a stringy-haired stalker, Eli (Michael Carmen Pitt), who blames the Grady firm for his father’s suicide over a lost property.

How does the suspect list grow?

Eric Bogosian stars as Capt. Robert Allen.

Kyle Kaplan/Netflix

Tom stumbles upon the idea that Summer was killed to protect a conspiracy involving the Gradys’ drug-laundering sideline. His best bud on the force, Wally (Domenick Lombardozzi), may be in on the take, or even avuncular Captain Robert Allen (Eric Bogosian, 70), who’s literally his wife’s uncle. What about the chief of police (Mike Pniewski)? How high up does the corruption go?

In a recent interview with the Netflix site Tudum, director Grant Singer compared Tom’s situation to the classic 1968 movie Rosemary’s Baby: “You realize, ‘Oh my God, they’re all involved,’ right? What Benicio’s character is facing is that he realizes it’s much more of a conspiracy, and that there’s much more culpability from all these different people that he trusted.”

So what about that controversial ending?

Justin Timberlake plays Will Grady in "Reptile."

Daniel McFadden/Netflix

In the climactic scene, Tom goes to Robert’s house to confront him about the clue in Robert’s garage (a Chrysler) that points to the captain’s role in the scheme — and the police chief’s.

But perhaps from guilt or loyalty, Robert urges Tom to run. Tom’s pal Wally shoots Robert dead. Tom then takes out the police chief and confronts Wally — who gets distracted by a Frisbee thrown by some neighborhood kids. Tom escapes. Will Grady gets arrested on a golf course for Summer’s murder.