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User Reviews for: Destroyer

freinhar
9/10  6 years ago
This movie is so close to perfect, I was toying with the idea of scoring it a 10. That having been said, your enjoyment is going to be heavily impacted 1) by your expectations of the movie (I knew nothing going in, which was great) and 2) whether you like the kind of movie this is.

I'm not sure how it's possible to make a movie that's simultaneously nihilistic and optimistic, that glorifies righting past wrongs while putting the destructive effects of hate, revenge fuelled obsession right at its core.

It shouldn't work. But it works so well. There's a reason the movie is called Destroyer, and it begins to resonate in more and more ways as the dread of where the plot and our main character (hard to call her a protagonist) grows stronger and stronger.

I disagree strongly with the other commenters that this movie was too slow or too confusing. This movie is tight and perfectly constructed. There is not a single wasted shot in it. Every scene and camera move is intentional and helps reveal more of the world we're in.

There is a shootout towards the middle of the movie that isn't just a worthy homage to Heat, it's probably one of the best I've seen since that movie's release. The way Bell reacts under pressure, at first forgetting she has a patrol weapon in her boot, and then deals with the patrol cops who are first on scene waiting for her to take charge... it was hair raising it felt so real and tense.

In my opinion the only way you could see this movie as confusing is if you see all movies told in non-linear fashion to be confusing. To be honest, this is one of the simplest ways I've ever seen that device used and it works wonderfully.

I'd be remiss not to touch on Kidman's character, Detective Erin Bell, specifically. It is a stunning, tour de force performance with an insane level of commitment. Not once did I feel I was watching a movie starring Nicole Kidman. In fact I'm struggling to think of another recent movie where I bought into a character's inner and outer life this strongly. You hate her for what she has done to herself and her family. And yet you can't stop yourself from sympathizing with her and the harrowing turns her life took due to one disastrous decision early on in her career. Bell carries herself with such a physical weight and world weariness that you can't decide whether to punch her or hug her in a futile attempt to wake her up from her current state of barely existing.

This is one helluva movie that I can't wait to re-watch, but would not recommend to friends across the board. It's going to be very taste specific.
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