A stratospheric springboard for the careers of its director David Michôd and A-list cast including Jackie Weaver (nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in the film) and Ben Mendelsohn, Animal Kingdom stands up as an Australian crime classic. Following the passing of his mother, 17-year-old Joshua ‘J’ Cody (James Frecheville) moves in with his grandmother, Smurf (Jacki Weaver), and her three criminal sons. The eldest, “Pope” (Ben Mendelsohn) is an armed robber. Then there’s Craig (Sullivan Stapleton), a successful but volatile drug dealer, and the youngest, Darren (Luke Ford), who naïvely follows his brothers’ lead. When Pope’s partner Barry (Joel Edgerton) decides that he wants out, tensions between the Codys and the police erupt.
“Compelling, not to mention chilling… Animal Kingdom is like Greek tragedy, fuelled by cocaine and numbed by heroin” — Sydney Morning Herald
English
Australia