"The best Australian badass movie since Chopper – and upping the felon count dramatically – David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom is a coolly measured picture of a violent Melbourne crime family imploding in the iron grip of its pint-sized matriarch." (New Zealand International Film Festival)
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
As the opening credits of Animal Kingdom play, sombre music sets the scene for a Greek tragedy of betrayal and retribution. David Michod’s debut feature is a gripping crime-drama, showcasing the best work Australian filmmaking talent has to offer and finding new riches to mine in a genre well trodden across the ditch.
Melbourne crime stories are nothing new, but by choosing to focus on the ‘who’, rather than the ‘what’, or the ‘why’, Michod takes a fresh approach. Everything revolves around this family of dysfunctional characters, each one varying in their loyalty to a life of crime and thus contributing to a simmering tension between themselves. Newbie James Frecheville is a terrifically blank, open-mouthed slate, proving hard to peg, not just for the audience, but for his increasingly suspicious extended family as well.
Michod, together with cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, use the screen as a large canvas to replicate the feel of a hot, languid, Melbourne summer. The pace is relaxed, but the storyline slowly winds tighter and tighter, ratcheting up the levels of tension to Hitchcockian levels. His filmic references aren’t hard to spot – Scorsese’s bold visual poetry and juxtapositions of popular music with moments of high drama are evident.
Such comparisons for an new name present Michod with a challenge for a follow-up, but his assured debut has earned them. This is a cracking story with fascinating characters, an engrossing tale of a family’s fall.
By Andrew Hedley, Flicks.co.nz
Great aussie crime drama brilliant acting well told and sickening story at times but if you loved the underbelly tv series then you will most likely love this
A superbly acted slow-building thriller that dispenses with the melodramatic gangster stereotype and delivers a harrowing and ominous portrait of the underbelly of human nature. Remarkable performances all round. An epic tragedy that has delivered one of the best films of the past twelve months.
A riveting look at the inner workings of a Melbourne crime family in freefall as they battle with the local cops. The story follows the introduction of a 17-year-old relative into the family following the death of his mother through a heroin overdose. Bloody - yes, but much more focused on the interactions within the family than the blood and gore. 3.5 stars.
riveting cinema.
This movie was not great. It was more suited to watching at home on TV than the cinema. Sorry but I felt it just really lacked something.
A primal, pulsating story of one family heading over the edge.
Outstanding. Never before has a tale of crime and punishment been so exquisitely handled by one of our own. This is a towering achievement.
A naturalistic drama rich in psychology and attention to details. There's no glamour here, but one false move by anyone can result in death, so tension fills nearly every scene.
Faultlessly acted by top Australian talent, including Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn and Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom marries heightened emotionality with cool contemporary style.
The film's depiction of the raw fear lurking below the brothers' braggadocio is the most pronounced emotion in a movie whose focus on the personalities of its criminals suggests an Australian answer to "Goodfellas," minus the wise-guy humor.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 16th Sep 2010.
Release date: September 16th 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
