Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1088108
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 MARCH 2019 FILM FILM THERE'S a beguiling bleak- ness that suffuses the noir genre, and it's something that's been carried over with an in- creasingly pained and pungent focus in its latter-day coun- terparts. The American de- tective tradition, powered by Raymond Chandler's writing and embodied with fatalistic gusto by the likes of Humphrey Bogart in its more classic itera- tion, has certainly not died off. But history has further sharp- ened the sheen of its nihilistic core, doing away with some of its more romantic trappings to deliver tales of quasi-redemp- tion that fail to offer much by way of actual consolation. The Brits did their work here too – the Michael Caine-star- ring, Mike Hodges-directed Get Carter stands as their monumental symbol – and now that we arrive at Karyn Kusama's Destroyer, bolstered by an impossible-to-look- away-from central perfor- mance by Nicole Kidman, we get something outwardly un- pleasant but inwardly – and undeniably – distilled; the dark purity of its convictions mak- ing for a potent brew, bitter to gulp down as it may be. Written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi and told in a toggle between the past and present, Destroyer finds Kidman's de- feated LAPD police investi- gator Erin Bell quite literally at the end of her tether. Es- tranged from her husband and daughter and still reeling from an undercover operation that happened years ago and end- ed in tragedy, she is suddenly forced to face up with that epi- sode yet again. Silas (Toby Kebbell), whose gang she had infiltrated along with her colleague and then- lover Chris (Sebastian Stan) has sent her a message. Erin is keen to respond. But doing so might require her to shore up her pent-up, vengeful anger into becoming a one-woman army. Gorgeously shot and boasting an impressively jarring make- up job for Kidman, Destroyer is something of a culmination for the genre-hopping Kusa- ma, a director with a varied repertoire. This does not mean that she's a flitting artist with no identity, however. From the wildly underrated Diablo Cody-scripted, Megan Fox- starring high school horror- comedy Jennifer's Body (2009) to The Invitation (2015) – a slow-burning ensemble psy- chological thriller – Kusama has proven her ability at find- ing the (often pained) human core that underpins the gener- ic parameters of the surround- ing plot. Aided by a powerhouse dis- play of both raw ferocity and vulnerability from Kidman, Kusama elevates what could have been wholly generic ma- terial into a hard-won medita- tion on the idea of redemption. Erin is a broken woman, but as the film proceeds and her his- tory continues to unfold, we learn that she may not have been all that pristine a person to begin with. She is a quali- fied righteous avenger - good at her job but terrible at her relationships. In fact, while the various shootouts are shot and choreographed with visceral precision – suspenseful, with a wincing accuracy when it comes to the violence on dis- play – and a particular early moment of catharsis involving a sleazy accountant lands like a sweet, guilty reward amidst all the bleakness, it is Erin's con- frontations with her daughter Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn) that really pack a true emotional punch. This is also true of Er- in's rekindling of her pseudo- friendship with Petra (Tatiana Maslany), the only other girl in Silas' gang, with whom she re- establishes contact while fol- lowing the trail of bitter bread- crumbs. Enveloped in a tale that reeks of machismo at every turn, these flashpoints of significant connection between women open up avenues of raw au- thenticity. Shot with a polish that's overqualified for its B-movie provenance, and boasting a magnetic central performance from Nicole Kidman, Karyn Kusama's Destroyer is a dark and beguiling ride DESTROYER SEEK & DESTROY DO DAMAGE OFF-TARGET DAMP SQUIB ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The verdict A hard-won and somewhat hard-going tale of redemp- tion that is certainly not for the faint at heart, Karyn Kusama's Destroyer none- theless remains an engross- ing and satisfying neo-noir, offering flashpoints of both catharsis and genuine hu- man connection amidst the bleak, nihilistic muck that characterises its milieu. Destroyer will be showing at Spazju Kreattiv at St James Cavalier, Valletta on March 15 at 8.30pm. Teodor Reljic Weathered Nicole Kidman is superb in Karyn Kusama's bleak but effective neo- noir thriller ★ ★ ★ ★ D E ST R OY E R ( 15 ) Redemption ain't easy Reluctant daughter: Jade Pettyjohn