Destroyer

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a very well-made aesthetic film dotted with boring characters and a pretty empty plot. I would give Destroyer a 6/10.

Destroyer follows Detective Erin Bell, a formerly corrupt undercover cop who is now using her rank of detective in a full on vendetta to bring down her former mark, Silas. The cinematography in this film is quite simply stunning, taking these incredibly gritty cityscape shots that build up a setting that feels like an urban wasteland. I really enjoyed how the camera only ever moved when it had full purpose to and the way the protagonist, Erin, is shown to languish and fall apart over the course of this feature is brilliant. The editing does a great job, the cutting shows good timing and there are some very unique transitions scattered throughout. I loved the look for this film, it gave me a modern day noir vibe which many films imitate but few capture. The score for the feature complements this style, always designed to make you uneasy and on edge.

Nicole Kidman, who played Erin Bell, really redefines herself in this hard-edged detective who is slowly deteriorating before the audience's eyes; Kidman's role seems sapped of energy quite intentionally yet still you can feel the surge of rage that is barely being kept at bay that guides so many scenes. Toby Kebbell, who played Silas, is an incredibly unpredictable antagonist; this gang leader feels distant until something is sparked that can fuel a very malicious side to this character. Sebastian Stan, who played Chris, has a very stoic charm to him as Chris; Stan and Kidman's relationship feels electric from the beginning and it's clear to see how their ambition spiraled so dangerously out of control. James Jordan, who played Toby, is a rather seedy role motivated by desire and fear; Jordan really plays to the moments in which his character seems like a scumbag strongly so that when he then turns to expose the vulnerabilities of his role it is all the more intense. Zach Villa, who played Arturo, is so caught in the life of crime during the flashback sequences that you even see how warped his loyalty has become to Kebbell's Silas; the change in moral stance and sincerity is an incredible extreme when we catch up with again in present day played very well by Villa.

However, the best performance came from Bradley Whitford, who played DiFranco. This character is a very smug cog in the criminal machine, comfortable in the power and resources he holds. Whitford has a very quick wit that can go from being very jovial to quite threatening in the blink of an eye. The scene he and Kidman share is a real masterclass of performance as both roles struggle for dominance over the other purely through heated dialogue. I loved little elements Whitford lends to the role like pausing to berate his son, attempting to make his own kid better than he currently is. This is a role who thrives on success and when he does fall at the hands of Kidman you really see him crumple into quite the coward.

This film does not really have a character for you to like or empathise with, none of the cast of characters really have a shred of good to them and so hard it's hard to watch a film in which a bunch of irredeemable criminals chase one another round and round in circles. The entire narrative is fairly easy to predict from the tragic love story flashback that is doomed to be the fuel for the modern day vendetta right through to Erin killing Silas. The way the story attempts to play around with time isn't especially clever and there is no shock when events play out as they do. The entire structure of the film just moves forward steadily but without ever really challenging the protagonist; she will question her suspect, get the next lead and repeat right up till she kills the final antagonist. Even the sub-plot around Erin's family, who are kept on the periphery, feels so unnecessary and makes it harder to watch Erin as a protagonist.

Tatiana Maslany, who played Petra, is one of the dull supporting antagonists in this film; Maslany plays her role as quite muted to the extent that when she shows a more desperate side it comes across as over the top. Scoot McNairy, who played Ethan, is a difficult role to peg as having had a relationship with Kidman; the pair don't operate well together onscreen and you don't sense a history that should be present. Beau Knapp, who played Jay, is rather overbearing as the jerk boyfriend to Kidman's onscreen daughter; Knapp seems perfectly content playing the stereotypical arrogant jerk rather than find a way to craft a realistic role. Jade Pettyjohn, who played Shelby, is another role with a relationship to Kidman that just doesn't feel like the right fit; Pettyjohn presents a rebellious daughter figure that isn't exactly breaking the mold. Shamier Anderson, who played Antonio, had a lot of potential to be a signifcant player in this film but is squandered on minor appearances and bit voice-overs; as Kidman's onscreen partner in the force there could have been some more back and forth but ultimately Shamier's character is just there as a plot device to tie up the whole thing.