Product Details

• Actors: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton
• Directors: David Michôd
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Dubbed: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
• DVD Release Date: January 18, 2011
• Run Time: 113 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (64 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B003Y5H4R0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,138 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Animal Kingdom" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The title leaves no doubt about the nature contained in this Australian crime picture: the law of the jungle prevails, and it's kill or be killed out there. That's the belief within the Cody clan, anyway, the Melbourne criminal family whose exploits give Animal Kingdom its fire. The central character is something of a deliberate vacancy, a blank slate for the movie to write on: 17-year-old Joshua, known as J (James Frechville), is taken in by his grandmother after his mother dies of an overdose (a memorably chilling opening scene). Grandma (Jacki Weaver) is known as Smurf, but don't let the name fool you: she's the Ma Barker-like matriarch of a brood of sociopaths, none more lethal than oldest son Andrew, known as the Pope (a blood-curdling performance by Ben Mendelsohn). Luke Ford and Sullivan Stapleton play her other sons, and Joel Edgerton (The Square) is on hand as an outlaw associate. The way J is brought in and tested in this world of blood-spattered machismo is director David Michod's subject, and even if the film has a few heavy-handed moments along the way, the overall effect is tense and unsettling. J's journey comes up short compared to a contemporaneous study of another unformed youth learning the ropes of crime (Jacques Audiard's A Prophet), but its portrait of amorality thriving in a somewhat ordinary-looking urban landscape is effective. Bonus: Guy Pearce's role as a detective who tries to catch J on the course of his tragic trajectory, a rare glimpse of humanity in an otherwise chaotic zoo. --Robert Horton

Product Description

Evil is relative in this chilling tale of betrayal and blood starring Guy Pearce, Ben Mendelsohn and Joel Edgerton. When his mother dies from a overdose, 17-year-old Josh Cody (James Frecheville) is taken in by his grandmother (Jacki Weaver) and uncles, the most notorious criminal gang in the city. So when tensions between the Codys and a squad of renegade cops land him at the center of a cold-blooded murder plot, Josh is forced to choose between his treacherous family and the lawless police in this shattering thriller.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Well-made, depressing Australian crime drama. September 12, 2010

By Miles D. Moore TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

"Animal Kingdom," David Michod's debut feature, is undeniably well-made and compelling, but it's strictly for people who thought "The Departed" was too optimistic. Seventeen-year-old Joshua Cody (James Frecheville), known as J, never had a chance, as "Animal Kingdom" makes plain from the opening shot. Once J's mother dies of a heroin overdose, he has nowhere to go but the home of his "Grandma Smurf" (Jacki Weaver) and uncles, a violent group of career criminals that makes "White Heat" and "Bloody Mama" look like "Mary Poppins." The Codys live in a seedy section of Melbourne in which police and crooks are essentially competing mobs, sometimes cooperating but more often taking hits out on each other. It's a true jungle, just as merciless as the Serengeti and far more corrupt.

"Animal Kingdom" is essentially the story of how J is sucked inexorably into a life of crime, enhanced by ominous music and portentous slo-mo camera effects. Ben Mendelsohn--playing J's Uncle Andrew, a/k/a The Pope--is absolutely terrifying. So is Weaver as the outwardly cheery but inwardly satanic Grandma Smurf, who will sacrifice anyone and anything to preserve the family business. "Just because you don't want to do something," she remarks at one crucial point, "doesn't mean it can't be done." As for Frecheville, at the beginning he's reminiscent of Forrest Gump if Forrest had been played by the young Rupert Everett. His performance gains in power, however, as his afflictions pile up and his true nature starts to come out.

There are a few things about "Animal Kingdom" that don't fit together; for example, it's a little too convenient that upright Detective Sergeant Leckie (Guy Pearce) should be so ignorant of the corruption in his own police force. Nevertheless, "Animal Kingdom" is a persuasive crime drama and an admirable debut film for Michod. Just don't watch it when you're already depressed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Survival of the Fittest March 1, 2011

By Grady Harp HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

ANIMAL KINGDOM is tough little film from Australia, well written and directed by David Michôd, and acted by a fine ensemble cast of actors. It is a frightening tale of crime and corruption, of one family of criminal sociopaths both pitted against and partnered by the police in Melbourne, Australia. Though the film wanders times, altering past and present in a manner that proves confusing to the whole, the impact in the end is stunning.

Joshua "J" Cody (James Frecheville) narrates the film and we first meet this young 17-year-old sitting beside his mother who has just died from an overdose of heroin. In a most detached way he calls his maternal grandmother Smurf (Jacki Weaver) and asks if she remembers him: his mother has been estranged from her family for years. Smurf welcomes his call and complies with his desire to move to her home. And what a home she runs! Smurf's sons are sociopathic criminals on the run from the law (but also involved with the law in the illegal sale of drugs with bad cops). The worst offender is Pope (Ben Mendelsohn) who is the brains behind the crimes the family commits: he is also on medication for his mental challenge. The other two brothers are drug-addled Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) and the strange very young Darren (Luke Ford). Pope's best friend in crime is the rather tender Baz (Joel Edgerton) with whom J can relate. J is thus thrust into the family he has not known and becomes reluctantly involved with the criminal shenanigans and killings of Smurf's boys. Smurf has a bizarre relationship with her 'gang' of sons, seemingly kind and protective but with a surprising evil side of her own. As the story progresses J is caught between the family and the police - in the form of Investigator Leckie (Guy Pearce, in another memorable role) - and the story deals with how this contrasting set of circumstances molds the young J.

There isn't a weak link in the cast and after viewing the film it is understandable why Jacki Weaver was nominated for an Oscar. This is a different sort of crime drama and the flavor of the Australian setting adds immeasurably to the mood. Grady Harp, March 11

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars They Devour Their Own In This Family! A Psychological Descent Into Criminal Desperation January 31, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

A surprisingly understated gem, Australia's "Animal Kingdom" is more adept at showcasing the psychological dissolution of a crime family than being a gung-ho action picture. In his choices, writer/director David Michod has produced a unique film that combines elements of a character study within the structure of a domestic drama. Placing that domestic drama inside a criminal family in flux, in decline and in desperation provides a slow build urgency to the film that causes the suspense to rise exponentially as the film proceeds. Effectively employing a moral ambiguity to his central protagonist, Michod creates a complex family unit that alternately protects its own or, if need be, devours the weakest. I loved the quiet intensity throughout and appreciated the thoughtful characterizations that made the "Animal Kingdom" an effective study of humans pushed to the edge.

The film is centered around James Frecheville, a rather passive seventeen year old that comes to live with his grandmother (Jackie Weaver) when his mother overdoses. Unbeknownst to him, his mother has shielded him from a family that lives outside the limits of the law. Frecheville, however, seems content to play a marginal role within the family enterprise as it garners him acceptance and connectivity. As the police, led by Guy Pearce, start to close in on the various members of the group--a splinter starts to form that will eventually rend everyone apart. The further the film progresses, the larger the body count until everyone left is scrambling in desperation mode for survival. The film is exceedingly well acted. Weaver is cool and cheerful even at her most treacherous. Sullivan Stapleton is terrifically unhinged as Uncle Craig, Joel Edgerton is astutely level headed as Uncle Barry, and Luke Ford is surprisingly sympathetic as the over-his-head Uncle Darren. But aside from Weaver's subversive villainy, it's a manic Ben Mendelsohn that provides real menace throughout "Animal Kingdom."

If anything keeps the film from being perfect, for me, it's the naive and passive Frecheville. He never elicited much sympathy or empathy and pairing him with a girlfriend who was equally foolish didn't help matters. In many ways, you know the young couple is doomed--but it merely seems like they brought it upon themselves with their patent refusal to acknowledge what is going on before their eyes. Still, "Animal Kingdom" packs a powerfully hard edge. The film is thoroughly entertaining and works as an intellectual thriller, not as a shoot-em-up. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of well placed violence in "Animal Kingdom"-- the film, however, revels in the choices that people must make in extreme circumstances. And, in the end, it's all about survival instinct. I really loved this movie. About 4 1/2 stars--I'll round up for the distinct and effective characterizations (although I'm tempted to round down for the idiot girlfriend!). KGHarris, 1/11.