Destroyer

(spoiler free)

New crime thriller ‘Destroyer’ sees Nicole Kidman in unrecognisable fashion starring as LAPD detective Erin Bell. After a new murder investigation is opened resulting from the discovery of a John Doe victim she is forced to look into a previous undercover case from her past, tracking down the various different members of the gang she went undercover to infiltrate. This screenplay is co-written by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi and the film is directed by Karyn Kusama whose previous films include the excellent thriller ‘The Invitation’.

Hay and Manfredi have written a very good screenplay here, one that if you were simply to read you’d be very impressed by. It has all the makings of an great crime thriller but somewhere between script and screen it has lost some of its quality. The film presents the story in two different timelines; Bell’s previous undercover case and her present day investigation. It’s here that the film potentially shoots itself in the foot. There are some pacing issues as a result of the back and forth and particular plot details are maybe revealed too soon which takes away from the impact that they might have had if kept under wraps for longer. It of course still has all of the narrative elements that make it a good story but the execution of this fails to make it particularly captivating.

Despite this, Nicole Kidman is consistently strong during both of the film’s narrative timelines showing the stark contrast in her character over time. She gives a fierce and emotional performance and it’s surprising not to see her amongst this years Best Actress nominees. The rest of the cast are good too with several smaller performances from the likes of Sebastian Stan and Bradley Whitford standing out in particular. Toby Kebbell stars as the gang’s leader, Silas. However he gets very little to do, which is odd considering his importance to the story. He’s constantly mentioned throughout the screenplay but his lack of actual screen time makes his overall contribution feel underwhelming and not fully realised. One element that’s far from underwhelming though is the action. The bank robbery sequences are reminiscent of Kathryn Bigelow’s action classic ‘Point Break’ and the brutal violence shocks creating a tense atmosphere which the film as a whole could of benefited from.

With a premise as interesting as is seen here ‘Destroyer’ deserves to be better. It shines in its high octane action moments and Kidman, as well as the rest of her cast, deliver brilliant performances. Although without being constantly compelling the film doesn’t grip its audience in the way it should, squandering its chances of becoming a modern classic and settling for being a stock entry into the genre.

Written by Hamish Calvert

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Rating – 6/10

Question: What is your favourite Nicole Kidman film?
(Leave your answers in the comments section below!)

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