Movielogr
Animal Kingdom (2010)
Directed by David Michôd
Twitter Facebook Google+Most recently watched by schofizzy, seanCduregger, noahphex, sleestakk
Overview
Joshua “J” is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. The clan, ruled by J’s scheming grandmother, is heavily involved in criminal activities, and J is soon indoctrinated into their way of life. But J is given a chance to take another path when a cop seeks to help him.
Rated R | Length 113 minutes
Actors
Ben Mendelsohn | Joel Edgerton | Guy Pearce | Luke Ford | Jacki Weaver | Sullivan Stapleton | James Frecheville | Daniel Wyllie | Anthony Hayes | Laura Wheelwright | Mirrah Foulkes | Justin Rosniak | Susan Prior | Clayton Jacobson | Anna Lise Phillips | Josh Helman | Tim Phillipps | Kieran Darcy-Smith | Jack Heanly | Andy McPhee | Christina Azucena | Jacqueline Brennan | Ben Ouwehand | Bert LaBonté | James Saunders | Dom Phelan | Anthony Ahern | Michael Vice | Chris Weir | Brenda Palmer | David Michôd
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/22/2011 | TV | Blu-ray | Rented | 7.5 stars |
| (Average) 7.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
I had heard a lot about this movie, so was happy to find it at one of my local RedBoxes. It didn’t disappoint.
Animal Kingdom is definitely not for everyone. The pacing stays at an uneasy simmer for the entire length of the film; there are no pinnacles or low points. It literally maintains the same pace throughout.
As fellow Tallyteer Noahphex pointed out on Twitter, “it was like watching the lost end of a movie that never finished.” He’s right. However, for me that was a positive, not the negative it was for him. The movie doesn’t beat you over the head with exposition, it leaves you to guess at all the stuff swirling around the current events, never explaining them, never establishing any ulterior motives other than those onscreen, and never attempting to sway you to feel one way or the other about any of the characters.
What you’re left with is a horrifyingly unsettling piece of film. The violence and situations depicted feel queasily real because there is no epic crescendo of music every time the violence spills over; no slow motion gun battles; no masterful foleying of bigger-than-left gun shots.
The violence is astonishingly sudden, flat, banal, monochromatic; Because that’s the way it is in real life. People aren’t good or bad in real life because they’re often both, depending on the situation.
Animal Kingdom does a great job of showing how average and every day crime is; how it insinuates itself into the normal fabric of life and what sorts of profound effects it can have.
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