10 Amazing Revenge Films That Are Really Bleak
6. Destroyer (2018)
Spoiling a very overlooked and underrated film is not something I set out to do regularly, but the crime-noir thriller Destroyer really set a precedent for Nicole Kidman and how she has elevated and graduated to acclaim higher than when she won her Academy Award for The Hours.
The gritty murder mystery follows Erin (Nicole Kidman) across two timelines. The first being a young police detective knocking boots with Chris (Sebastian Stan), and the other being a drunken wreck with a grudge against a former gang leader.
The revenge aspect comes in the form of Chris being gunned down by Silas (Toby Kebbell) several years prior. As the father of Erin's teenage daughter, there's a righteous instinct in Erin to get what's owed to her, which leads to a bank robbery and a brawl that leaves our hero with life-threatening injuries.
The film would not be so grim had it not been established that Erin is now a drunken mess whose life has tumbled one year at a time. Sympathy for her character turns to pity, and not once are viewers given any indication to feel sorry for her. Even in the closing minutes when her character passes away.