Jack Quaid’s action movie Novocaine has a major twist involving Amber Midthunder’s Sherry, but how it revealed the truth about her character hurt the movie for me. The basic setup of the 2025 action movie is that Quaid’s Nathan Caine is a bank manager who can’t feel pain and falls for one of his coworkers, a bank teller named Sherry. But everything goes haywire when a bank robbery goes awry and Sherry is taken as a hostage. This leads Nathan to hunt down the robbers to try and save his very new girlfriend. It all changes with Novocaine‘s Sherry twist.

The big reveal in Novocaine is that Sherry was not a normal hostage. She was a member of the heist and got the bank job to try and learn the code to open the safe. In fact, Sherry is the sister of one of the leader of the bank robbers, Simon. It’s a major twist that shakes up Novocaine‘s ending, with Sherry caught in the crossfire of her boyfriend and her brother. Revealing that Midthunder’s character was in on the heist is actually a pretty clever twist. The only issue with it comes in the execution.

Novocaine Reveals Sherry Is Part Of The Bank Heist Before The Ending

Sherry & Simon Have A Revealing Conversation

The truth about Sherry’s allegiance comes to light in Novocaine much earlier than expected. While that type of reveal is typically something that could be saved for the third act, the movie instead delivers the surprise early in the second act. Her involvement in the heist and her relationship with Simon are confirmed during the siblings’ conversation after the robbery. Simon and another robber are waiting with Sherry in a warehouse for the third robber to arrive so they can move forward with their escape plan. Simon then begins apologizing to Sherry for hitting her and confirms her connections.

The clues are there even before Simon and Sherry deliberately confirm her part in the heist plan. She’s not tied up like a hostage would be and is not afraid to be in the presence of her supposed kidnappers. And from that point on, Simon and Sherry’s interactions do not shy away from talking about how she was in on the plan. My issue with Novocaine is that the movie has to do the big twist reveal a second time.

Novocaine Had To Do The Sherry Twist Twice Thanks To Jack Quaid’s Character

He’s Oblivious To Her Idenтιтy Until The End

While audiences become aware of Sherry’s connection to the robbery during her and Simon’s scenes, Nathan Caine is still clueless. He’s out there basically in an R-rated Home Alone, trying to rescue a girl he likes who he believes has been forcibly taken and is in danger. Once he has fought various people and is reunited with Sherry, he has no idea that she hasn’t been in any real danger this whole time. His lack of knowledge about who Sherry really is means Novocaine has to do its twist a second time so he realizes what’s really going on.

The oddity here is that Novocaine is forced to treat the reveal about Sherry’s involvement in the heist and familial relationship to Simon as a major surprise. Nathan is understandably shocked to find out the truth and his reaction makes that clear. However, audiences are already privileged to this knowledge about Sherry, so the moment doesn’t land. Viewers are not experiencing the surprise at the same time as Nathan, as we’ve known what’s really going on with her for a lot longer. That doesn’t sit well with me.

Novocaine’s Twist Reveals Put Viewers Ahead Of Nathan Cain

This Hurts The Movie

My biggest issue with Novocaine‘s Sherry twist is that it takes away some of the stakes. There are not that many scenes with Sherry after being “taken” by the robbers, as the majority of the movie focuses on Nathan’s noble attempt to save her. That would be a much more effective and thrilling story if I felt the same level of desperation and fear for Sherry’s safety as Nathan does. I should be rooting along with him to find the robbers and save his girl and get a happy ending. That’s all taken away by revealing the Sherry twist earlier.

While it’s still fun to see Jack Quaid’s character do various action scenes, the whole plot feels less urgent knowing that Sherry isn’t in danger. I know that she’s safe with her brother. The only real question is whether she’ll stay with him or try to find Nathan. Perhaps the reveal was done earlier on so that Midthunder and Ray Nicholson could get more screentime than they otherwise would have if the twist was saved for the end. Their scenes are good, but that doesn’t change the fact that Novocaine would’ve been better without knowing Sherry’s twist so early.