LAPD detective Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman) is drawn back into an old case from seventeen years earlier when a John Doe is found dead under a bridge with three bullet wounds.
She had been working undercover all those years ago, along with her partner Chris (Sebastian Stan), infiltrating a criminal gang led by charismatic, controlling leader Silas (Toby Kebbell). And it seems that this new case may be closely linked to this same gang, or at least the same Silas.
Now she must revisit past relationships (and past wounds) and try to get to the bottom of the case, a case which she is not officially authorised to be investigating, while also trying to mend her relationship with her estranged 16-year-old daughter Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn) and ex-husband Ethan (Scoot McNairy).
I really can’t say any more than that without giving too much away. Believe me, you will want to experience this masterpiece for yourself.
Told with a mixture of scenes from current day, along with flashbacks from the initial undercover investigation, this film is a high-octane thrill ride from cryptic beginning to incredibly satisfying yet unexpected ending.
The screenplay, by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi, is so cleverly written. Mark my words, in the same way that Robert Towne’s screenplay for the classic film Chinatown was used in screenwriting courses for decades after the film’s release, this screenplay will soon be used in the same way. It is expertly crafted, with every single line of every single scene crucial to the overall piece. And by the end of the film, you will be just as impressed with their attention to detail throughout as I was.
Nicole Kidman gives what is undoubtedly the standout best performance of her entire career, balancing the action and grit of a hard-nosed police detective with the heart of a mother who wants nothing more than the best for her child, even if that child wants nothing whatsoever to do with her.
In fact, thanks to makeup designer Bill Corso, and hair stylist Barbara Lorenz, Kidman is also completely unrecognisable. And I’m not just talking about a prosthetic nose like she had for The Hours. This is an all-over full facial transformation; well, not full facial. What I mean is the tone and texture of her skin is completely different. She still has full use of her face (as in, it’s not obscured by overdone prosthetic work), but the face you see is so far removed from her own face, you almost won’t recognise her.
Jade Pettyjohn as the obstinate estranged daughter also gives an incredible performance. Again, I spent the entire film trying to work out who it was playing the role, her portrayal is so different from anything else she has done before. I knew that I had seen her before, but couldn’t place it at all until seeing the credits at the end of the film, at which point I was shocked, yet pleasantly surprised, to see how far she has come in a relatively short space of time.
Honourable mentions must go to Tatiana Maslany as gang member Petra, and to Bradley Whitford as DiFranco, a slightly crooked attorney, a role which he plays exceptionally well here (again, very different from anything I have seen him in before).
Cinematographer Julie Kirkwood has such a gift for the use of light and shadow, perfectly capturing every shot in a way that makes it look much easier than I’m sure it is.
The score (by Theodore Shapiro) is gritty, grounded in remarkably unique instrumentations. And, in my opinion, the best feature of the score is that it is not at all overused, but used incredibly sparingly and only in the most significant moments of the film. We don’t even hear a ‘traditional’ musical instrument until close to the end of the movie.
Director Karyn Kusama has achieved something I have never seen before in a film in this genre: a perfect balance between hard-core crime thriller and heartfelt, tear-jerking drama. It will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, but also reaching for a tissue in several moments.
Get out there and see it while you can; it’s best to see a film like this on the big screen if possible.
10 out of 10.
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