I wanted to see what all the hype around Kidman's was about...and I'm not sure if I watched the same film as everyone else. There was not a single piece of scenery she didn't chew on. It was so labored and over-dramatic that it sometimes took me out of the film. The rest of this (quite illustrious) cast was fine, but no one was given more than a glorified cameo role. And the ridiculous wig they had Toby Kebbell...just...why? The storyline was fine, if a bit too straightforward (outside of the final revelation). I just wish this would have lived up to all the critical praise for it, but this really felt more like a straight to Netflix film instead of a prestige drama.
Came here to see if this is any good. I wanted to see it because Slingshot (Natalia Córdova) is in it. Unfortunately, I saw it's a Botox Kidman movie and Natalia Córdova is not in the list of top billed cast.
Do I waste 2 hours on this, or spend it watching something else, that is the question.:thinking:
Well a good performance from Nicole Kidman and she played her role so good that I didn’t recognise her. Good film/script
The story is okay - nothing particularly original - but what lifts this film is the powerhouse performance from Kidman and the fine creative talent behind the camera.
Good performance from Nicole Kidman but that's the highlight. Everything else is ok. The story is fine if not a little predictable. All the kid stuff could have been cut. I wanted more time undercover.
They really tried to sell us that Nicole Kidman and Sebastan Stan, despite their age-defying Hollywood looks, could seamlessly blend into a group of teenagers/early twentysomethings and none of the kids would ask who these adult-ass-lookin' people were
It's not quite Steve Buscemi how do you do fellow kids in 30 Rock but it's not far off
A superb central performance and an impressive aesthetic design elevate a quotidian plot
Destroyer is an unashamedly pulpy genre piece, confrontationally ugly and unapologetically nihilistic. It's the kind of film one might imagine were we to follow Det. Mills (Brad Pitt) after he opened the box at the end of David Fincher's Se7en (1995), with crippling emotional trauma the protagonist's most salient characteristic. Of course, a damaged cop determined to settle one last score isn't exactly an original concept, and Destroyer never strays too far from the generic tropes. However, what it does bring to the table is that the archetypal "he" of such narratives is here a "she", with Kusama relying heavily on Nicole Kidman's startling warts-and-all performance to do most of the heavy lifting. Although the film does seem to be under the impression that it offers some portentous revelation about the nature of revenge and psychological torment, approaching every scene with an air of self-seriousness that can become grating, there are undeniably individual moments of great brilliance. And then there's that lead performance.
For my complete review, please visit: https://boxd.it/CSSu5
Sadly, everything other than Kidman's performance in this movie is mediocre... But my god what a performance!
Where is Nicole Kidman?! That woman has a total different face, did they do this on purpose or she had a terrible plastic surgery?
An average crime drama. I loved the twist at the end.
Impressive movie. I liked it a lot. Nicole Kidman delivers a brilliant performance in a very dark and heavy tale of loss and revenge. Also the cinematography and the music were top-notch. Overall a very good movie but not a light watch.
well watched it through to the end...just about ... would I recommend you do this?. No
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.
Words would not to justice to convey how terrible this movie is but do yourself a favor and DO NOT watch it!
I was seriously considering throwing The Destroyer a pity star and making it a 'recommend', despite the storyline lifted from a 70s cop show watered down with ridiculous family drama that sucked whatever excitement remained after the flashbacks were done smothering it.
But then the film wouldn't die, it just kept clinging on like a jilted teenager and, even worse, the twist ending was a cheap editing trick that made me burp a little vomit and not even the (arguably) best performance of Nicole Kidman's career could convince me to like this mess of a film after that.
What could've been an enjoyable hard-boiled detective film learned nothing from the faux gravitas of Widows, Triple 9 or Den of Thieves and insisted on including 'serious' drama that was a serious drag on an over-edited movie.
I was very excited for this movie knowing it was from the same director as "The Invitation" but this movie's timeline is more messed than the X-Men universe. It constantly jumps to the past, even further in the past, closer to the present but still the past, then the present {spoiler} which isn't even the present that you're not sure even where you are in the storyline half of the time. That being said i think this movie thought it had big twists but I was never really shocked. Nicole Kidman gives a fantstsic performance. The flashbacks are more interesting than the "present" that it feels more like a story about Erin Bell which is fine but idk I think if this movie had some coherence that it could of been a lot better.
Nicole Kidman is exceptional. The supporting cast is very good (Tatiana Maslany is always brilliant), This screenplay has surprises (things are not always as we think). The tone is dark and weary but the stubborn determination of this detective keeps us with her every step and misstep. This is a good movie with a superb performance. I give the film a 7 (good) out of 10 and Nicole a 9 (superb). [Crime Drama]
Great acting and cast, the action scenes has very high tension. But the story is just a regular story, after 20-25 minutes you know exactly what's happened, what's happening and what will happen. Very predictable but also enjoyable. Might be a slow burn for some.
Shout by LuluLovesTVandMoviesBlockedParent2019-02-17T00:22:03Z
when i saw that Nicole Kidman was doing this i was like this is going to be good but to me it was so bad that i had to stop the movie about midway cause it was that bothering to me. Plus it was very confusing and really slow