Review of Animal Kingdom (2010) by Calum R — 23 Apr 2012

Animal Kingdom- In a nutshell.

Directed by David Michod and starring James Frecheville and Joel Edgarton, Animal Kingdom follows the story of a 17 year old boy who lives among his criminal family, when things turn nasty, he has to choose between family and a detective who thinks he can save him.

Following my recent trend of reviews, Animal kingdom is an Australian crime film, which does show some similarities to 'Snowtown'. Both being gritty and close to the bone, and both supplying rich captivating plot's, if not a little depressing! We follow a dysfunctional family beyond belief, with a psychotic mother and 4 insanely brilliant brothers, all of course played terrifically with the 'shine-out star' being Jacki Weaver, the mother, whom we build up such a hatred for due to her no nonsense, back-stabbing ways. The main character that we follow is realistic and believable due to the equally brilliant acting of James Frecheville, and the acting is what I think really makes the film stand out, every single performance is perfect, which creates an almost too real atmosphere. Throughout the film the tension builds up and up until the climactic ending scene which is perfectly fitting and satisfying.

My only major hitch in this film comes from the story, which starts and ends really strong, but their were scenes in the middle which really sagged, the story started to deflate and some of it didn't really add up. The majority of scenes in which I felt this were the scenes with the detectives as despite the story being undoubtedly strong, I found that it became a tad unbelievable at times.

Overall Animal Kingdom is a very good film supplying an exciting and original story-line, while being acted perfectly by the excellent cast. While it does have it's faults , you should be able to over look them, as this is a one of a kind, that shouldn't be missed.

80%- 'Saggy' middle may leave you hard done by, but the strong story and excellent acting should ultimately win you over.