REVIEW: Demolition (15) ***

He’s not just numb about his high-flying job at the bank, where his father-in-law Phil (Chris Cooper) also happens to be the boss, or his covetable home and possessions, he’s also indifferent to Julia’s death and unmoved by his colleagues and loved ones’ needs for him to heal, or at least heal in a way they understand.

The only person who penetrates his apathetic exterior is Karen (Naomi Watts).

As the customer services representative for a vending machine company, Karen receives a letter of complaint from Davis about the machine in the hospital which gobbled his money, but didn’t give him his goods on the night of his wife’s death.

But while he writes about the complaint, he also expands on his life and loss, until eventually his letters become increasingly confessional in tone to the point where Karen and Davis meet and strike a friendship.

Soon, Davis becomes entwined in Karen’s life and that of her troubled teenage son Chris (Judah Lewis) who has become cold and distant to her lately.

As time goes on, Davis reverts to more extreme tactics - much to the shock of Phil - to feel again and, with the help of Karen and Chris, to rebuild his life and, in turn, unlock the struggles Chris is going through.

While sentimentality could be rife, Demolition avoids it largely due to the welcome flashes of humour and thoughtful performances from Gyllenhaal and his young co-star Lewis, but it’s just a shame that Watts is underwritten.