Destroyer review: Nicole Kidman explodes onto the screen at the 2018 fall movie festivals in a role that is almost a dead cert to land her a nomination. Away from the jaw-dropping make-up, or lack thereof and the unkempt hair lies a performance that may just rank amongst the best she’s ever delivered.
Image credit: Courtesy of TIFF
It’s present-day Los Angeles, Kidman in the role of Erin Bell, a hardened detective first seen on screen clambering from her parked vehicle next to the LA river, her obvious place of rest for the night. Is she drunk, hungover, on drugs – all of the above – perhaps – but she’s obviously struggling from some inner torment. It’s also clear that this isn’t the first time this has happened either. She’s seen attending a crime scene; what appears to be a gang member’s fatal shooting on the banks of the dry river, just hours after it has occurred. The unseen gang-banger is covered with tattoos, a distinct branding on the back of his neck, and three bullet holes in his body. Bell warns her fellow officers, who were first on the scene, who clearly don’t want her involved, that she may hold the key to the slaying, and walks away intent on getting to the truth of this brutal murder.
Destroyer has many layers to it. Over the course of the first act, we’re transported back in time 15 years to learn more about how the tormented police officer has ended up the way she is. We learn of previous undercover activity, an assignment where she meets and ultimately falls for Sebastian Stan’s FBI agent Chris. This part of the narrative takes us on her journey into the criminal underworld where the two are investigating a series of armed robberies in the greater Los Angeles area.
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The two time periods run through the entire movie, both answering questions along the way, and raising even more. Kidman is electric and mesmerising, the grittiest role we’ve ever seen her in. She comes across in a ghoulish, zombie-like way, her characters so no much living, but simply existing in a world that is becoming more and more unfamiliar. He rampant drive and ambition solely to solve a cold case is her only fuel on this journey, everything else tossed to one side, including her physical well-being and even that of her teenage daughter, Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn).
The supporting cast is on point, Toby Kebbell brilliant (as always), but perhaps a touch underused in terms of screen time, as a gang leader, the elusive Silas, as too are the likes of Scoot McNairy, Bradley Whitford, and Tatiana Maslany.
Part mystery, part all-out crime epic, Destroyer truly crosses genres and even has one of the tensest bank shoot-outs to grace the screen since Heat.
Karyn Kusama’s on top form, along with screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, all bringing as much tautness to proceedings as their last effort, the totally unpredictable horror piece The Invitation. The same unpredictability is present here, largely in Kidman’s character, a sell of a human being on the brink with absolutely nothing to lose. Even the ending came from left field – I didn’t see it coming at all.
One of the best crime movies of late, certainly in the past few years, and great to see someone like Kidman front and center flexing her acting chops once again. Awards nod would be totally deserved, and almost a cert.
Destroyer review by Paul Heath, September 2018.
Destroyer was reviewed at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. Click here for all of our coverage.
