Nicole Kidman shows no vanity as a beyond damaged undercover cop in this raw performance. This film is relentlessly depressing, yet we couldn’t take our eyes off Kidman as Erin Bell and her drained, hollow face along with her ravaged moral values. Hers is a truly spellbinding performance. The role was originally meant to be played by a male. The hook here is the gender redefinition of this tough cop who has become so jaded, she seems devoid of emotion.
If you’re a fan of classic old Noir Detective dramas, this update on the genre from Australian director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight) will be a satisfying 2 hours. You fear for this woman every minute which is compelling, but it’s no 2 hour walk in the park.
Kusama is one tough director. Kidman said she would literally growl to get into this badass character before the cameras started rolling. The makeup department did well making her look emaciated with ruddy, spotted skin, and cracked lips. She is an alcoholic homeless mess who sleeps in her car or in a bar. Her stilted walk is most dramatically shot from behind. Cinematographer Julie Kirkwood (The Monster, TV’s The Last Man on Earth) does a fine job shooting this gritty film, but when it’s done, you may feel like you want to take a shower.
Kidman’s Erin Bell is burdened by enormous guilt on so many personal and professional levels. Looking at the wan expression of a woman who has made so many bad decisions in her life is not pleasant. Her scowl is etched forever. We feared her face would shatter if she ever cracked a smile.
Kusama magnifies the effect with long, intense, close-up shots of Kidman. But we have to give Kidman credit. She’s known for glamour, but here she portrays this distasteful, ugly character. We start with her in some bad place in a sewer channel under a bridge. Kusama then slowly unfolds in flashbacks the steps that led her to look like she does and be where she ends up. It’s somewhat predictable, especially since you know from the beginning that she survived the journey to get to this place.
Kusama injects a nervous energy in the shots following Erin as she walks a tightrope. She is tracking her enemy, a despicable man named Silas (Toby Kebbell) who was responsible for her downward spiral working undercover on the LA police force. Silas’ lawyer is another piece of work. He’s a sleazy sort played much too well by Bradley Whitford. At the same time, she is trying to salvage any kind of a relationship with her estranged teenage daughter, Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn- TV’s Kansas City, L.A. Confidential) before trying to save her from going down the same kind of self-destructive path she ended up following.
Erin is filled with overwhelming guilt. Manfredi and Hay’s script is a slow reveal constructed with flashbacks to the time when Erin and her PD partner Chris (Sebastian Stan – I,Tonya, Avengers movies) find themselves too deeply into their assignment and each other.
These two time tracks run concurrently, and are sometimes confusing. Where are we now? But that makes it all the more compelling, if not frightening and depressing. Kusama weaves the threads leading to the climax and back to the present. The director knew where she was going and the moves play out well, even though you might scratch your head once or twice and wonder how she is going to get out alive from the mess she created with help from some very bad dudes. And it doesn’t make LA look too good either.
This is one grueling journey that highlights Kidman and Stan’s performances more than anything else. If you want a good Mom or love story this isn’t it. Although she is totally committed to this role, it’s an unusual one for Kidman. Great performance but even she admits that it’s so dark, Destroyer nearly destroyed her. It could do same for your evening.
Annapurna Pictures 123 Minutes R
