Destroyer (2018)

Directed by: Karyn Kusama | 121 minutes | action, crime | Actors: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Sebastian Stan, Scoot McNairy, Bradley Whitford, Toby Huss, James Jordan, Beau Knapp, Jade Pettyjohn, Shamier Anderson, Zach Villa, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, Colby French, Kelvin Han Yee, Joseph Fatu

It almost seems to be a formula for success: putting beautiful actresses under a thick layer of make-up or keeping them away from the make-up. When appearance suddenly no longer counts, acting has to camouflage this ‘defect’. It earned actresses an Oscar in a number of cases. A rather strange turn of events, because actresses like Charlize Theron (‘Monster’) and Halle Berry (‘Monster’s Ball’) had already proven themselves as good actresses years before. In ‘Destroyer’ Nicole Kidman tries to collect a prize by having her appearance tinkered with. Not that the Australian is averse to tinkering – she is a welcome guest at the plastic surgeon – but for this film she let herself be painted older and dilapidated…

Kidman plays Erin Bell in ‘Destroyer’. This LAPD detective is still suffering from an event from her past. As she tries to get her life back on track, she can’t avoid reliving her tragic past. The past catches up with her.

Kidman is an amazing and layered actress. She still is, something that can be called quite amazing when you consider that all the botox removes the expression from her face. In this film she once again proves to be very talented and to be able to carry a film effortlessly. Bell is a layered character. She is not sympathetic, but she is empathetic and interesting enough to keep following.

Karyn Kusama has made a nice crime movie. In addition to Kidman, Sebastian Stan is also in good shape. The acting is fine and the script is decent. Kusama knows how to increase the tension well and ensures that the film is very exciting at times. Unfortunately, the tension is not always good, so that the film sometimes collapses and feels too long. It drags. Unfortunately, the finale is a bit of a miss and detracts from the film as a whole.