Review of Destroyer (2018) by Alan W — 31 Dec 2018

Cinematic photography against a sun-drenched LA - check.

Glamorous actress sans make-up in gritty role - check.

Tough and jaded copper haunted by her past - check.

Moral ambiguity and grey areas - check.

Twisty narrative with a nasty little sting at the end - check and check.

This breathtaking new drama from Karyn Kusama, and starring an almost unrecognisable Nicole Kidman as the aforementioned tough as old boots copper, could easily a great season 3 of True Detective, but here it is condensed down to a tight 123 minutes cop drama that thrills and engages in a confident and satisfying manner. Kidman's police detective Erin Bell is haunted and hunted by criminals she had engaged with 17 years ago in an undercover operation and the film, cutting back and forth between her tracking down the culprits in the present day and revisiting memories of what happened previously, slowly unfolds a story of duplicity and regrets. Kidman dominates and anchors the film in an Oscar-baiting performance that's simply incredible and is like nothing she has done before and Kusama effortless direction produces a cool looking and intense film that is tinged with sadness. My only reservation is the daughter subplot which seems at first clichï¿ 1/2 1/2d but even that falls into place and finds relevance once all the pieces are revealed. Destroyer is a showcase for its talent both in front of and behind the camera which I hope doesn't get overlooked this awards season.