Review of Animal Kingdom (2010) by Gavin S — 24 Jul 2012

A very strong, realisitc Australian crime drama about a young man who is pulled into the family business, and who doesn't ever really stand a chance. Jacki Weaver got a well-eared Oscar nod as Grandma, the evil puppetmaster of the family, pulling the strings, 2 of her 3 sons are lunatics, and the 3rd is too intimidated by them to fight it.

Guy Pearce does solid work as a police detective who is trying to help the kid to realize how brutal and nasty his family can be. Fantastic work by newcomer James Frecheville as Josh, the grandson who has to figure out his place in the world and in the family against this backdrop.

Visceral, gritty, and as real as it gets, one of the best films at showing what being part of a criminal family is really like.