Matylda Swan
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
mitchikus
I came across animal kingdom via the American series, I have not watched the American series yet, purposely because on checking the reviews i discovered the original title film.I much prefer to check out the origins of TV series first especially if there is a book or film.Man was I disappointed! I turned off at 60 minutes because its shallow uninteresting and daft.My only hope now is the TV series or I fear much like I have in the past wasted my evening on Australian trash.I really would like one day to watch an Australian film that is at least good but they are awful actors seriously awful the best film inever remember watching was memoir and again same actor etc Australia seem to have a handful of actors and I'm not hating please believe me, I've travelled Australia and tbh what a boring bunch they are in real life too.I watch all genres all languages (subtitles really help make a film come alive for me) but this is another poopoo.I have it a 3/10 because it held me for an hour whilst I ate my vegetable Biriani,which was fantastic if I do say so myself.Poo.
sharky_55
It begins with the dulcet tones of Andrew O'Keefe's afternoon Deal or No Deal and a mother's heroin overdose. Joshua 'J' Cody sits blinking, almost unaware as the paramedics take her away. We're not sure if he is reacting to the death or is his gaze is focused on the television. Some criticism has been leveraged towards James Frecheville's performance as blank and unaffected by the chaos around him, and I suppose that there may be some truth in that. But to really understand this character you need to have met him. I have met a few Js in my time; they flit around the school system without so much as a word, and you could very well blow their mother's head off next to them and have the stony face not move an inch. They are barely of age and yet already covered by layers of learned masculinity that prevents any overt emotional reaction (and when he finally cries, it is with full-bodied shudders and snot). The brief, morose voice-over confirms as much - the Cody way of life is not so much different from what he has faced growing up his whole life. In David Michod's Animal Kingdom he is not simply thrust into the world of crime like many of these stories tend to do. He finds the Codys in a period of transition, where people are trying to change and leave for a better life. Their reasoning is that they can no longer live of life of constant surveillance and hiding, that at some point the certain thrills and riches of the criminal lifestyle cannot make up for the vice grip on their freedom and peace of mind. Baz has a wife and kid, and 20k that has become 60 in the stock market - future prospects. Edgerton has that Hollywood look about him, and seems more adjusted to civilian life than the Cody brothers could ever be. On some level, he has an assurance that they cannot afford. J also has this briefly, although he is haunted by the actions of his family throughout his stay at Nicole's. He drones out of the 'normal' family dinner, the shot rack focusing to the fate of the two policemen he helped lure to their deaths. It's a strange environment that Michod has created. It's not exactly the grim underbelly of the crime world, although Arkapaw has siphoned away its colour all the same. Australia does not have the same gun culture that these crime stories usually have, but the characters have no troubles with access there. A morbidly humorous scene shows this, with the masculine bravado of road-rage (not even that) being swiftly dispelled by the sight of a gun. The most intriguing aspect of the film, apart from the uniformly excellent performances, is the soundtrack. Partos knows exactly when to hold back here, so the viewer has time and head-space to be able to make their own judgements instead of being drowned out by the emotions of the score. He makes the silent cop killings chilling. He knows how to compress the Cody family with a cacophony of droning and buzzing as the investigators close in on them. And he knows how to magnify a moment in the slow motion, to show a monster sitting in his domain, or a house succumb to a SWAT raid like it us merely another Tuesday. These moments take on a dream-like quality, filtered through J's perspective until we are not sure what is really happening or who to trust. Would cops really shoot him in the vehicle? There is a brilliant moment when cops orchestrate a drug raid on the safe house that J stays in, also being guard by cops. The moral line has long been blurred that a police vest no longer holds any meaning. Ben Mendelsohn's Pope reminds me of (and looks a little like) Gary Oldman's Stansfield, both a quick trigger from exploding into a furious rage. But while Oldman was constantly on edge and trembling through his skin, Mendelsohn is dishevelled in a rat-like manner. You can see the weariness in his eyes and the lines in his face, and while his brothers panic, he simmers. Because he lacks this ability the character is more dangerous for it, and we feel threat from all corners, particularly as he leers over Nicole, and with a few simple words, bores into the innocent consciousness of J. The standout, however, is Jacki Weaver's Smurf, the mother hen of the nest. Unlike Pope, she never breaks character even once, reserving the same twisted smile and coo for her sons and cops alike. Her tendrils are wrapped tightly around her family, roping them in through motherly affection with incestuous tones. Weaver has a matter-of-fact delivery in her voice, never under any illusions about what she has brought into the world and how she will go about protecting them - even to the extent of throwing one cub to the vultures to shield the other two. And what Michod has commandeered in this ending is so magnificent that even she does not see it coming. After freely admitting J has been truly lost, she welcomes him back into her den with the belief that he has been neutered. But are we cheering for J as he achieves his vengeance? No, because in a small victory he has lost everything else, and that fresh-faced, solemn boy has replaced by a lion.
filmjournal-97579
Great Australian crime-drama. Set in Australia, Animal Kingdom follows the story of "J", a young man who is taken in by his Granny after the sudden death of his junkie Mother. While in the company of his Grandmother and Uncles "J" finds out that they are involved in some of the worst crimes that have been taking place in Melbourne, in the eighties. What now stays in front of him is to try and find his way out of their clan or become one of them. The film delivers a great deal of realistic energy and feel of realism. This realism is achieved through the unfolding story whose logic is unrelentingly factual, and the extraordinary acting of a number of the players, including Jacki Weaver, James Frecheville, Ben Mendelsohn and Guy Pearce. Although violent, the film is to be commended for not celebrating crime and violence. The scenes of violence are short, unexpected, energetic, delivered briskly without lingering on unnecessary gore effects and details. The characters and violence are simply what they are, and all the more authentic for it. Great first feature debut by David Michod as a director. Highly recommended.
subxerogravity
Advertised an Aussie Goodfellas (or Spranos), but I'm not sure if that's the category I would put it in. Although I know nothing of Aussie blue collar crime organizations.Still it was a good movie about a boy unknowingly born into a literally crime family made up of three brothers and a mom who cares for them as they run their biz. When this boy's mom dies of a heroism overdose, he's force to seek shelter with the fam he was told to stay clear of.The oldest brother was played brilliantly as a paranoid psychopath quietly going over the deep end. Jacki Weaver was also brilliant as a woman who seems to love and care for her family no matter what.It was definite a great film about a crime family.
