Review of Destroyer (2018) by Compi24 — 09 Apr 2020

Impossible to critique without mentioning everything it did right, "Destroyer" -- at the very least -- marks another visually stunning notch in the belt for director Karyn Kusama, and further displays the impressive dramatic talents within Nicole Kidman.

Outside these two components, though, there's much to be desired. The narrative fluctuates in terms of complexity, ultimately trying one final flourish in the third act that it doesn't quite stick the landing on.

It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the actual events on paper being uninteresting or anything. It's more of a presentational thing. A bit too pretentious and "trying too hard" at times.

Kidman's great and her hair and makeup are quite convincing. The hair and makeup on every other character can vary from "alright" to "nice try," however. There are also a few scenes and images where, again, the movie's artistic appearance seems to ignore what the audience is/isn't going to think is dumb.

Or maybe the filmmakers just don't know. It's not a particularly bad cop drama/thriller, but considering how good it looks overall and how terrific a lead performance we got, I really think I should have felt more than the emptiness I'm feeling now.