Animal Kingdom

The Australian crime family of petty thieves at the center of writer-director David Michôd's debut feature film might be smaller and less prosperous than the Corleones, but their story is no less fascinating, featuring drab lower-middle-class characters whose casual malevolence is equally shocking. Based on a true story, the narrative centers on Josh Cody (James Frecheville), a teenager welcomed into the home of his grandmother Janine (Jacki Weaver) after his mother overdoses on drugs. The smiling, affectionate widow presides like a modern-day Ma Barker over a brood of criminal sons—Darren (Luke Ford), Craig (Sullivan Stapleton), and Pope (Ben Mendelsohn). When a friend is killed by renegade cops, Pope—a volatile psychopath—takes revenge by killing a couple of policemen, an act that involves Josh. When honest detective Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce) tries to persuade Josh to turn state's evidence, the rest of the clan, including grandma, target both Josh and his girlfriend. An atmosphere of corruption and suppressed violence pervades Animal Kingdom, which offers proof that the gangster movie is alive and well Down Under. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director David Michôd, a Q&A with Michôd and costars Jacki Weaver and James Frecheville (34 min.), a “making-of” featurette (16 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a winning film.] (F. Swietek)