Karyn Kusama’s hardcore police drama Destroyer, from a jumbled yet effective script by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, allowed Nicole Kidman to get down and dirty as she’s never been on-screen, with the veteran actress dropping a studied performance that fits right in line with the demands of the cynical, modern day, cop movie formula, to say nothing of her near total physical transformation; she is, after all, one of the most beautiful women in the world, so it’s always awesome to see gene-pool-winners mess themselves up for our (and presumably their) pleasure.
The narrative involves a once-undercover officer turned detective (Kidman) who has become a shell of her former self, suffering from extreme mental and physical exhaustion, as she attempts to piece together the re-emergence of a gang she’d infiltrated years previous.
A body is found and she’s going to figure out what’s going on, while simultaneously looking to dish out a cold serving of revenge and make amends with her out-of-control 16 years old daughter.
Julie Kirkwood’s sun-scorched cinematography allows for a wonderful neo-noir-in-daylight feel, while the carefully chosen just-outside-of Palm Springs locations add to the level of unease and dry-heat living.
There’s a terrific supporting cast including Scoot McNairy, Bradley Whitford, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, and Sebastian Stan, but Kidman towers over the entire picture, shredding her glamorous image and creating a menacing, morally ambiguous, and totally desperate character who would likely enjoy having coffee with Alonzo Harris.
Review by Nick Clement
Summary
Destroyer opens in theaters in limited release on Christmas Day, and will likely find a strong cult audience in years to come; it brought back memories of Lili Fini Zanuck’s Rush, which would make for a great double feature.
