Well, this was not the movie I expected. Admittedly, I knew very little about this film prior to watching it other than it won a good amount of Australian Film Institute awards and even an Academy Award nomination for Jacki Weaver. I was thinking it to be a zoo-based comedy that also featured Guy Pearce but instead, writer and director David Michôd provides a thoughtful and powerful look at family, crime, and why mixing the two is bad business.
Seventeen-year-old Josh (James Frecheville) calls his grandmother to inform her of his mother’s untimely death after a heroin overdose. At least, once he can pull himself away from the Down Under equivalent of Deal or No Deal. Grandma Smurf (Weaver) takes Josh in and soon he is reunited with the uncles he has not seen for some time as Josh’s mother disapproved of the family. She had a point. Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), the oldest, is a has-been armed robber looking for a new trade. Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is a manic and paranoid drug-dealer while the youngest Darren (Luke Ford) is a yes-man to the older two. Barry Brown (Joel Edgerton) manages the family’s “affairs” and Grandma Smurf mostly stays out of it but is certainly aware of the shenanigans and what-not going on.
In retaliation for the death of family friend, the brothers gun down two Melbourne cops and in turn have the full force of the law brought upon them. Detective Leckie (Pearce) takes a liking to Josh and attempts to extract him from a life of crime which causes strife in the family. Where some stories show the upside to a life of crime with women, drugs, and respect, Animal Kingdom shows this family entrenched in crime, but more in a blue-collar sense. There are no swanky condos or drawers full of money, only constant panic and worry about what is to come next.
If you go into this movie expecting Goodfellas on the Barbie, you will be disappointed. Instead of relying on gunfights or brutal beatings, the film almost skirts around the Hollywood-esque elements and sinks you into the minutiae of a life in crime. Since the bulk of the film then is in heated conversations or quiet musings, it is a good thing there is a strong cast to back it up. Weaver rightly received the most acclaim since her performance is quite exhausting to watch as she effortlessly bounces from bubbly, to mournful, to downright mean when called for. The rest of the lead actors are great as well with my favorites being the psychotic Mendelsohn or the suave demeanor of Edgerton.
The best thing about this movie is also, to some extent, it’s downfall. Given that this is primarily a drama with just a pinch of action now and again, there is a real possibility of a guy like me (though I’ve gotten better) becoming bored. Most of the time, this was not a problem since the way the story unfolded was quite unconventional, providing a lot of surprises even before the first half of the film had passed. But, a large amount of scenes in the final third of the movie feel unnecessary considering that any other movie would have ended long before. Again, the superb acting works wonders to distract you from this but even that cannot smooth out the very rocky pace of this movie.
Considering though that this was the debut for Michôd, he deserves much applause for the mostly engaging story and the wonderful performances he elicits from the actors.
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