Animal Kingdom

David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom is a tale of two gun shots. Both out of the blue, cinema seat jumping moments that book end the latest gritty drama from Australia. Not to give too much away, but the first has echoes of Psycho in terms of its plot twisting nature, whilst the second will give some of the audience a release of the pent up tension built up during the preceding couple of hours. Loosely based on a real life family from Melbourne, Michôd’s crime drama has echoes of The Departed, The Town and Goodfellas. However, this is a stand alone achievement from Michôd who doubles up as both screenwriter and director. His film tells the story of 17 year old Josh who, following the death of his mother, moves in with his grandmother (Jacki Weaver) and her three sons, and attempts to live a normal life with them despite the family’s criminality and a policeman’s (Guy Pearce) efforts to turn him away from a life of crime. The direction and screenplay are only average really, but the film triumphs thanks to its superb acting. Weaver, as the family matriarch, is the classic criminal mother. Turning a blind eye to her sons shocking lifestyle, whilst loving them with a barely disguised incestuous nature. A cliche her character may be, but Weaver is disturbingly believable as someone who probably has many a hit to her name, without ever getting her hands dirty. Though its Ben Mendelsohn, playing one of her sons, who is even more disconcerting. Playing a quietly talking psychopath Mendelsohn intimidates all around him, friend or family, and his dead eyed stare reveals a man who’s soul was lost a long time ago. His casual murder of an innocent character feels so run of the mill that it is one of the most disturbing film deaths in recent memory. The trump card the film has is that, despite the appearance of Pearce (though himself, excellent as always), the Australian actors (to North American and European audiences anyway) are unknowns and, like the best low budget horror films, if the hierarchy of the cast is unclear you can’t second guess which characters will be standing at the end. This also helps in terms of the authenticity of the film. There’s no crisps suits, sunglasses or smart ass dialogue here as contained in the aforementioned films at the top. These guys feel like real criminals. In terms of negatives Michôd’s direction is fairly static, though this does give the film an almost documentary feel to it, but it’s unclear if this is intentional or not. Also, some of the character’s reactions to what is going on around them is so under whelming it appears you are watching the rehearsal, as opposed to the main feature. Overall though, this is a welcome addition to the crime film canon and a timely reminder that a small budget is never a handicap to the quality of a film if attention is paid to the critical areas by which a film will stand or fall.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

A tough watch, but if the glamour of Hollywood crime is getting too much for you, this cold shower of a film is the perfect riposte, complete with some superb performances. Rating: 8/10.