Destroyer | 2018 | R | – 5.6.10

Why is “Destroyer” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “language throughout, violence, some sexual content and brief drug use.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a sex scene with no nudity, a few kissing scenes and references to a relationship with a teen girl, lots of gun use and several violent scenes with gunshots fired and people being killed along with beating scenes that leave people bloody and bruised, and over 140 F-words. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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A detective (Nicole Kidman) works undercover to break into a robbery ring but finds herself in over her head when her partner does not survive a heist. Years later, the man responsible for the death contacts her and she makes it her mission to destroy him in order to avenge her partner’s death. Also with Toby Kebbell, Tatiana Maslany, Sebastian Stan, Scoot McNairy, Bradley Whitford, Jade Pettyjohn, Shamier Anderson and Zach Villa. Directed by Karyn Kusama. [Running Time: 2:00]

Destroyer SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A man lying in a hospital bed in his home pulls the blanket back to suggest to a woman that she should stimulate him in exchange for information; she rubs his genitals (we see rhythmic movement without any details), he tells her to open her blouse (we see her cleavage and bra), to spit on him for lubrication (she does) and continues to rub him until he climaxes and she wipes her hand on the blanket.
► A woman kisses a man in a bar/restaurant. A man and a woman kiss in several scenes. A man and a teen girl kiss in a few scenes.
► A woman confronts a man about dating her 16-year-old daughter. A woman talks about a man having sex with a teen when she was a minor. A woman complains that a man won’t have sex with her anymore. A woman takes a pregnancy test and finds out that she is pregnant (we see the stick).
► Women wear low-cut tops that reveal cleavage in a few scenes. A woman wears a short top that reveals her bare abdomen. A woman wears a low-cut top that reveals cleavage. A woman wears a low-cut tank top that reveals cleavage.

Destroyer VIOLENCE/GORE 6

 - A man is shot several times and falls dead on the ground, where blood pools under him and runs along the ground. When a robber is sprayed with dye from stolen money, he goes back into the bank and shoots a teller (we do not see her shot), as well as a man who follows him to try to stop him; he then shoots the man again at close range to make sure he is dead (we see blood on his jacket). Police open fire on bank robbers and several individuals from both sides are shot (blood sprays).
► A woman slams another woman in the face with a gun, kicks her repeatedly, straddles her and hits her in the face (we see her bloody nose and she spits blood). A woman beats a man in the face with a gun (we see his bloody face). A woman hits a man in the head with a soap dish and knocks him out. A man grabs a woman by the hair, punches her, takes her gun and then kicks her in the abdomen several times.
► We see a dead man with a pool of blood around his body at a crime scene (we hear that the victim was shot three times). A woman driving a van slams it into a dumpster and she is seen with a very bloody face; a man in the van is shown motionless and we don't know if he is dead. A woman sitting in a car appears to be dead. A teen girl is seen in the hospital with a fractured wrist after fighting with someone (she has a bit of blood on her face). A woman finds blood-soaked $100 bills under a dead body.
► A man throws a gun to another man and tells him, "Let's see if it's your time," trying to convince him to put the gun to his head and pull the trigger, which he does and the gun clicks but does not discharge. People wearing masks and carrying guns enter a bank and rob it: they force patrons to lie on the floor, a guard is kicked and they order tellers to put money in bags. A police detective with her gun drawn chases a man and he runs through a wooded area, and eventually stops running; the two argue and the detective tries to get information about another person. A young woman holds a shotgun and kisses the barrel. A woman takes a bag of guns from the back seat of a car and leaves with them as the owner of the guns yells at her.
► A woman tells a man to take some money and leave her teen daughter alone or she will kill him. A woman confronts a man about dating her 16-year-old daughter. A woman yells at her teen daughter and pounds on a table. A man says that some nights his teenage daughter doesn't come home and that she doesn't go to school. A man and a woman talk about a bank robbery. A woman yells after finding money stained with dye. A teen girl talks about remembering getting lost in the mountains in a snowstorm with her mother when she was young. We hear that when a woman was a child, she and her young brother were left alone for a long period of time with a couple of boxes of cereal. A man tells a woman that he holds a bible study and she scoffs; he tells her, "It's good to not be alone."
► A woman waits in a car and we see her very reddened eyes. A woman vomits on the floor twice after being beaten (we see goo). A woman urinates (we hear the trickle). A man is shown in a hospital bed in his home being cared for by a nurse (there are scabs on his face and he uses oxygen from a mask). A woman has scars on the back of her neck (presumably from tattoo removal). We see a woman's very bruised and swollen abdomen after a beating and she grimaces in pain in several scenes.

Destroyer LANGUAGE 10

 - About 143 F-words, 2 obscene hand gestures, 20 scatological terms, 8 anatomical terms, 3 mild obscenities, name-calling (little mutt, crazy white people, liar, user, fool, sad, stupid, murderer, dead man, maniac, weak, desperate, jealous, dumb), exclamations (shut-up, grow up), 2 religious profanities (GD), 8 religious exclamations (e.g. Jesus Christ, Jesus). | profanity glossary |

Destroyer SUBSTANCE USE

 - A man snorts cocaine, and a woman takes an unidentified pill with a beer. Men and women are shown with beers in a bar, several people hold beers in a trailer, a woman drinks whiskey in a bar, a man holds a beer, several people in a bar are shown drinking alcohol, we see many empty and partially filled bottles of liquor in an apartment, and a man drinks a beer. Several people smoke cigarettes in a trailer, a man rolls and smokes a cigarette, and a man smokes outside a hospital.

Destroyer DISCUSSION TOPICS

 - Undercover operations, bank robbery, friendship, love, death of a loved one, credibility, parenting, gun sales, guilt, free will, statutory rape, money laundering, vendetta, success, accountability.

Destroyer MESSAGE

 - Guilt can be all consuming and can drive people to violent ends.