Review of Animal Kingdom (2010) by Thee D — 27 Apr 2014

Written and directed by David Michôd (Crossbow (2007), Solo (2008) and Inside the Square (2009)), this crime drama was inspired by actually crimes that happened in Melbourne, Australia in 1988, where a film called Pettingill, who were involved in criminal activities.

It makes for a shocking and moving drama of family loyalty and it's held together by a brilliant ensemble cast. It begins when Joshua Cody (James Frecheville) finds his mother dies from a heroin overdose.

With no-one else to turn to, he goes to live with his grandmother Janine Cody (Jacki Weaver), who he hasn't seen for a while. It's while living here, he's exposed to the criminal activities of Janine's sons Andrew (Ben Mendelsohn), Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) and Darren (Luke Ford).

Andrew has dealings with fellow partner in crime Barry 'Baz' Brown (Joel Edgerton), who wants to quit crime. After Andrew, Craig and Darren kill two policemen, the police swoop in on the family, which is difficult for Josh, as he just wants to lead a normal life.

It's a very powerful film, and the big deciding factor in it's success is the cast, with Jacki Weaver stealing the show as the determined matriach. It brings up a lot of moral questions about how loyal do you stay to your family, even if what they're doing is wrong, and is it OK to turn against your family and grass on them??