Destroyer

THE bowlers are a snug fit for Steve Coogan and John C Reilly in this joyous film about Laurel and Hardy. DIRECTOR M Night Shyamalan’s comeback hits the buffers with this plodding sequel to 2016’s Split. SAOIRSE Ronan’s Mary Stuart clashes with Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie) in dreary historical drama.

ANDY’S RATING: ★★★★ In cinemas on Friday

IF you enjoy Sky Atlantic’s True Detective, you should get on fine with Destroyer – a gritty, twisty, time-jumping crime drama about a boozy cop haunted by an old case. But you might be surprised by the identity of the redemption-seeking corrupt detective. Director Karyn Kusama has flipped the gender stereotypes and roughed up one of Hollywood’s most glamorous actresses.

We meet Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman) as she stumbles into an LA murder scene, shielding her eyes from the morning sun.

Other detectives recoil at the sight of her matted hair and the unholy pong coming off her crusty leather jacket.

But a dyed $100 bill next to corpse seems to perk Erin up. She rasps in a voice somewhere between Darth Vader and Corrie legend Phyllis Pearce that she knows who did it.

From here the film keeps jumping between two time frames. In the present day, rough Bell tries to find someone called Silas who seems to have some connection to the murder.

Meanwhile, in early 1990s a fresh-faced Bell has teamed up with undercover agent Chris (an excellent Sebastian Stan) to infiltrate a gang of armed robbers.

Kidman’s transformations can be distracting (I was never sure which one worked make-up the hardest), but I soon became fascinated by the character.

Destroyer isn’t a laugh a minute, but it’s a smart, well-crafted and gripping thriller.