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Animal Kingdom (2010)

7.3
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Ratings: 7.3/10 from 29,802 users   Metascore: 83/100
Reviews: 133 user | 234 critic | 33 from Metacritic.com

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.

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Title: Animal Kingdom (2010)

Animal Kingdom (2010) on IMDb 7.3/10

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Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 36 wins & 36 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
Joshua 'J' Cody
Bryce Lindemann ...
Paramedic #1
Paul Smits ...
Paramedic #2
...
...
Barry 'Baz' Brown
...
Darren Cody
...
Craig Cody
...
Catherine Brown
Anthony Ahern ...
Armed Robbery Detective
Justin Rosniak ...
Detective Randall Roache
...
Hood #1
Chris Weir ...
Hood #2
Laura Wheelwright ...
Nicky Henry
Sarah Nguyen ...
Waitress
Lucia Cai ...
Cashier
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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 ... Written by Huggo

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A crime story.

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, drug content and pervasive language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

3 June 2010 (Australia)  »

Also Known As:

Carstvo životinja  »

Filming Locations:


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

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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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. See more »

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 ...
See more »

Connections

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

Soundtracks

"Descent"
Written and performed by Antony Partos and David McCormack
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Riveting story of crime and police vigilantism
25 January 2010 | by (Salt Lake City) – See all my reviews

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.


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Worst film i've seen in a while! andy-zero
Australian accents? Ruth_91
So overrated!!! Spunky_Star
ANIMAL KINGDOM is better than The Town and Winter's Bone (IMO) leocdctalk_7
Slow, pretentious, cliche (5/10) chanceartanis
Best Film since Pulp Fiction davetheblue
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