NEW YORK (OSV News) – Moviegoers may wish they had a dose of "Novocaine" (Paramount) to get them through the revolting carnage that increasingly marks this action comedy starring Jack Quaid. Though the escalating mayhem is meant to be amusing, viewers of taste are more likely to gag than guffaw.

Quaid plays Nate Caine, a mild-mannered San Diego credit union manager who has a medical condition that prevents him from feeling pain. This has caused him, since childhood, to lead a highly regulated and isolated life for fear of such possibilities as biting off his own tongue while chewing his food.

Nate has long carried a torch for co-worker Sherry (Amber Midthunder) but has always been too shy to approach her. Once she shows an interest in him, however, things proceed swiftly with the two bedding down immediately after their first date.

The next morning, Nate is floating on air, believing that Sherry will completely transform his life. But fate soon intervenes in the form of a trio of bank robbers, led by a psycho called Simon (Ray Nicholson), who kill Nate's boss and take Sherry hostage.

Not trusting that the police will be able to rescue Sherry, Nate spontaneously follows in hot pursuit. Once he catches up with the thieves, his inexperience in battling violent villains is offset by their inability to make him suffer.

Fish-out-of-water gags are eventually overtaken by the supposed humor of watching Nate be wounded, tortured and maimed in ever more outrageous ways. Since he often gives as good as he gets -- temporarily blinding one adversary, for instance, with shards of glass he's ground into the skin of his knuckles -- the proceedings degenerate into a bloodbath.

Along the way, Lars Jacobson's script has Nate emerge victorious from his debate with SDPD officer Mincy (Betty Gabriel) over the morality of his resort to do-it-yourself justice. In a similar vein, after obtaining some of the funds stolen during the hold-up, Nate awards a portion of them to a down-on-his luck borrower with whose plight we have previously seen him sympathizing.

In keeping with the gimmicky premise, there's an artificial feel to Nate's romance with Sherry. They're supposed to be two victims of life, intent on offering each other mutual support.

But this framing of the situation fails to convince, especially in light of the narrative's ultimate purpose of garnering laughs by mangling Nate. The endurance of the duo's bond after a relationship-threatening plot twist also strains credibility.

The film contains excessive gruesome violence with numerous grisly visuals, a benign view of vigilantism, some sensuality in the leadup to an off-screen premarital encounter, several uses of profanity, about a score of milder oaths, pervasive rough language and frequent crude talk. The OSV News classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - -CAPSULE REVIEW"Novocaine" (Paramount)The gimmicky premise of this action comedy, co-directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, is that its protagonist (Jack Quaid), a mild-mannered credit union manager, has a medical condition that prevents him from feeling pain. So, when the co-worker (Amber Midthunder) for whom he's fallen is taken hostage during a robbery (led by Ray Nicholson) and, not trusting that the police will be able to rescue her, he sets off in hot pursuit, his inexperience in battling violent villains is offset by their inability to make him suffer. Fish-out-of-water gags are eventually overtaken by the supposed humor of watching the banker be wounded, tortured and maimed in ever more outrageous ways. Since he often gives as good as he gets, the upshot is revolting carnage. Excessive gruesome violence with numerous grisly visuals, a benign view of vigilantism, some sensuality in the leadup to an off-screen premarital encounter, several uses of profanity, about a score of milder oaths, pervasive rough language, frequent crude talk. The OSV News classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - -CLASSIFICATION"Novocaine" (Paramount) -- OSV News classification, O -- morally offensive. Motion Picture Association rating, R -- restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - - John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News. Follow him on X @JohnMulderig1.