Review: Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom (2010)
Written and Directed by David Michod
Starring James Frecheville, Jacki Weaver, Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Pearce

It was John Hillcoat's The Proposition (2006) and Andrew Dominik's Chopper (2000) that convinced me to have a look at this acclaimed thriller from Down Under. David Michod's Animal Kingdom tells the story of J (played by James Frecheville), a boy of few words, who is thrust into a world of fear, following the death of his mother from a drug overdose. The world in which he now resides is inhabited by uncles Darren, Craig, and Pope (Luke Ford, Sullivan Stapleton and Ben Mendelsohn respectively), as well as Baz (Joel Edgerton), who perform armed robbery for money, and his overly affectionate grandmother (Jacki Weaver). What comes after is an unpredictable series of events that bring J ever closer to grave danger.

It soon becomes clear that Uncle Pope is one to fear, Ben Mendelsohn skilfully communicating many levels of his character's sinister nature with little more than a stare; you see the fear in J's eyes and can't help but feel it too. Every character here feels real, the dialogue naturalistic and it's obvious that this is a well thought out effort from Michod.

Animal Kingdom, though it seems mundane, has the ability to surprise. Once the characters are established, Michod shows us how even though an event can end in a flash, its consequences are far reaching, and he does well to balance drama with heart-stopping suspense that eventually erupts into brief periods of violence.

Helped along by a score from Antony Partos, which exemplifies dark and ominous, Michod delivers a depressing but remarkable piece of film, made even more commendable by the fact that it is his début feature; here is a film that stays with you long after the credits roll.

Verdict: If you want a real crime film, this one's for you - 9/10