Animal Kingdom (2010)

Tells the story of seventeen year-old J (Josh) as he navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and the detective who thinks he can save him.

Director:

David Michôd

Writer:

David Michôd

Stars:

James Frecheville, Bryce Lindemann, Joel Edgerton

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 36 wins & 36 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Frecheville	...	Joshua 'J' Cody
Bryce Lindemann	...	Paramedic #1
Paul Smits	...	Paramedic #2
Jacki Weaver	...	Janine 'Smurf' Cody
Joel Edgerton	...	Barry 'Baz' Brown
Luke Ford	...	Darren Cody
Sullivan Stapleton	...	Craig Cody
Mirrah Foulkes	...	Catherine Brown
Anthony Ahern	...	Armed Robbery Detective
Justin Rosniak	...	Detective Randall Roache
Michael Vice	...	Hood #1
Chris Weir	...	Hood #2
Laura Wheelwright	...	Nicky Henry
Sarah Nguyen	...	Waitress
Lucia Cai	...	Cashier

Storyline

Despite being no saint herself, Julia Cody has shielded her seventeen year old son, Joshua "J" Cody, from her Melbourne-based criminal relatives who they have not seen in years. After Julia dies in front of J's eyes from a self-inflicted heroin overdose, J, who is slightly detached from life, feels he has no choice but to contact his maternal grandmother, Janine "Smurf" Cody, the family matriarch, for a place to live. Smurf rules the family with a borderline incestuous love over her three sons, the quietly menacing Andrew "Pope" Cody, the hyperactive Craig Cody, and the barely of age Darren Cody. Pope and his best friend, Barry "Baz" Brown, are armed robbers, with Darren their up and coming apprentice, while Craig is a mid level drug dealer. Melbourne's Armed Robbery Squad is after specifically Pope, who is hiding out. But when the standoff between the Codys and the Armed Robbery Squad is brought up a notch, an all out war ensues, with some casualties and J caught in the middle. The ...

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Plot Keywords:

detective | robbery | drug dealer | survival | armed robbery | 

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Taglines:

A crime story.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [au]

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 2010 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Carstvo životinja

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

AUD 5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$61,968 (USA) (13 August 2010)

Gross:

$1,043,798 (USA) (11 March 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Porchlight Films, Screen Australia, Film Victoria

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Pope asks J to steal a car, preferably a Holden Commodore. Victor Pierce, the real life gangster responsible for the Walsh Street police shootings favored using Commodores.

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Quotes

Joshua 'J' Cody: Mum kept me away from her family because she was scared. I didn't realise it at the time - but they were all scared, Even if they didn't show it. I think even Barry Brown was scared - even though he never showed it, Everyone felt safe around Baz', He'd punch your head off if ya got in the way, If he was in the middle of an armed robbin', He'd put you on the floor and not think twice about it, But he was good to me - and to everyone else, Darren was only a couple of years older than me, When we ...

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Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.3 (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Descent"
Written and performed by Antony Partos and David McCormack

User Reviews

Riveting story of crime and police vigilantism

The backdrop to this movie is Melbourne, Australia in the mid-1980's, which (according to the director) had one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the world. At the time, there were several deaths in Melbourne in which wanted and suspected criminals were killed by the police under suspicious circumstances. These killings in turn supposedly ignited a slew of retaliatory murders perpetrated on police officers (cf. the "Walsh Street" police shootings).

This is a movie about a young man (Josh or "J," played by James Frecheville) whose extended family are all criminals. Using the character of seventeen-year-old J as a sort of catalyst, the movie explores a variety of crime-related issues, from the effects of growing up in a world where criminal activity is the norm, to the escalation of crime that is a natural consequence of vigilantism (especially when the vigilantes are police).

The characters are all played very well, with exceptionally good performances given by Ben Mendelsohn, Jackie Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton and young James Frecheville in his debut as J.

While "Animal Kingdom" starts slowly (perhaps -too- slowly for some), it continually builds in intensity throughout the entire movie, culminating with an ending that is both shocking and yet inevitable. In particular, the movie has a very compelling scene played perfectly by Mendelsohn, with an awesome supporting role played by Luke Ford - I'm sure this scene repulsed many in the audience (it certainly repulsed me). At first, I feared that the scene was added by the director merely as a gratuitous exploitation of the audience's emotions. However, as the movie progresses, the scene's outcome becomes an integral part of the plot development, and is therefore necessary for the completion of the main story.

This movie will not be for everybody - the subject matter and the honest way in which the movie portrays it made the movie somewhat taxing at times to sit through. However, I think those willing to consider the necessity of telling the story of "Animal Kingdom" will find the movie entertaining and thought-provoking - I certainly did.