Provokr Pick: Destroyer
Nicole Kidman Kicks Ass
Nicole Kidman is having a killer season. Every big name actor seeks to strike a balance between big-budget mega-blockbusters and career-affirming displays of acting and cinematic gravitas; for Kidman, both of those movies are out right now.
In Aquaman, she plays Queen Atlanna of Atlantis, a noble leader – and mother to Aquaman – who knows how to beat up the bad guys with a heavy trident, resulting in some spectacular CGI-enhanced action-packed fight sequences. Director James Wan made his bones on intense horror and drama, from Saw to Death Sentence, but has since become the biggest name in Hollywood action, with Furious Seven earning prominence as one of the best American action movies of the decade, and Aquaman has successfully transformed its title character from a memetic goofball into a badass worthy of respect… And his mom is really hot.
On the other end of the spectrum is Destroyer, a time-jumping crime drama about the ghosts of the past and how one must stop running and turn around to face one’s demons… Preferably whilst armed with a submachine gun and extra ammo.
Kidman plays Erin Bell, an LAPD cop whose life was ruined in so many ways by her stint undercover in a notorious and violent gang. After years of silence, the kingpin who got away reemerges, and Bell has to venture forth into the fray again, going undercover and fighting her own past to take him down, once and for all.
The supporting cast includes Captain America‘s Sebastian Stan, Planet of the Apes‘ Toby Kebbell, and The Good Guys‘ Bradley Whitford, among others, all under the direction of Karyn Kusama, a versatile director known for her work in films as varied as Girlfight, Jennifer’s Body, and The Invitation.
A noir-tinged neo-Western, Destroyer is already earning significant praise, with Kidman scoring a Golden Globe nomination for her role as a broken and bitter ex-cop who only regains purpose in her life when she acquires a target to vent all her rage and hatred. It’s not exactly a jolly holiday movie, but the holidays aren’t always jolly. Besides, this Christmas release is clearly more of an awards season play than a family outing opportunity. While it’s certainly more of an esoteric character study than a straightforward series of shootout, that only makes the sparse displays of gunplay more rewarding, with each bullet carrying an emotional impact that just isn’t possible (or expected) in most films.
Destroyer is in theaters now.
