Movie Review: Destroyer (2018) – A Descent Into Darkness

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Nicole Kidman disappears into the role of Erin Bell in Destroyer (2018) — a gritty, emotional noir thriller that drags viewers through the dust and blood of Los Angeles’s criminal underworld. Directed by Karyn Kusama, this is not your typical detective story. It’s a haunting character study wrapped in the shell of a crime drama, and it delivers a punch that lingers long after the credits roll.

Kidman is nearly unrecognizable — gaunt, hollow-eyed, and emotionally scorched. Her performance as a broken LAPD detective on a years-late mission of vengeance is fearless and raw. This is a woman shattered by her past, navigating trauma like a warzone. “A descent into darkness” barely captures it — it’s more like watching a soul erode in real time.

The film unfolds like a puzzle, with a non-linear narrative that rewards patience. Flashbacks to an undercover mission gone wrong interweave with present-day sequences that simmer with tension. Kusama’s direction is unflinching, offering no glamorization of violence, no clear lines between justice and revenge — only moral ambiguity and regret.

While Destroyer isn’t always easy to watch — it’s deliberately bleak and emotionally taxing — it’s also one of the most daring performances of Kidman’s career. The cinematography is washed-out and harsh, echoing the barren state of Erin’s inner world. The action scenes, though sparse, are brutal and grounded.

This isn’t a feel-good film. It’s a character spiral — slow, painful, but mesmerizing. Destroyer is less about solving a crime and more about confronting the cost of trying to outrun your own past.