When the credits rolled, I sat there stunned with this goofy grin on my face. This was easily one of the best 3 or 4 movies I've seen this year, and I see a bunch of 'em. It's so rich and so layered that I don't even want to discuss much of it in detail. It's a movie about a Melbourne family known for taking down banks, but it's more specifically about a young family member's learning to survive in the animal kingdom. The acting is uniformly superb. The writing does away with all of the hackneyed scenes we've seen a thousand times before. There's no need for the courtroom scene, or that of the young grieving widow, or funerals. We've been there. The story is like an extremely taut dramatic rope that gets tweaked about every 15 minutes or so. It was just one hell of a refreshing film. Do what you can to see this thing. Not everyone in my crew loved it as much as I did, but we talked about it continuously for about a half hour when it was over. This has been a tough year for quality movies - don't let the choice steak slip through your fingers (as someone once told me).… Expand

Crime thriller from Australia is one of the best movies ever. Riveting performances from Ben Mendelsohn and Jacki Weaver and an amazing debut for James Frecheville, plus a decent turn from Guy Pearce should make this film a major awards contender at the end of the year. Definitely deserves lots of Oscar consideration, for best picture and acting for the three leads. If you like gritty, heart-pounding drama, do NOT miss this film.… Expand

I must be in the minority here but this dark family crime drama didn't do it for me at all.I thought it was slow and tediously annoying.The lead character Josh played by James Frenchville I didn't think the kid could act.It seemed he didn't have much to say or any emotion when he said anything.I saw where somebody had said that this was the Australian version of The Town and I couldn't disagree stronger with that.The Town is way better in every respect.I found myself looking at the clock wondering when this thing is going to be over.I can't recommend this one though it seems just about everybody else loved it..4/10.… Expand

I was incredibly impressed with this movie. It was very dark. The script was very well pieced together. The cast had chemistry, Jackie Weaver played a sensational role which demanded the audience's attention throughout the feature. Guy Pearce stood up and showed the class he has as an actor. Favorite film of the year so far.

Animal Kingdom is one of those rare beauties of film, a dark and at times harrowing portrait of a crime family in demise that allows you to feel as though you are right there with them in their rather sad, violent world. This is an analysis of the psyche of the family rather than a pure action flick, but when the action scenes arrive they hit you with a force that will take your breath away. The performances are uniformly superb, and it will be a crime greater than those portrayed in the film if Ben Mendleson & Jackie Weaver are not nominated for Oscars. They are two of the best acting performances you will ever see. This film may not be for everyone, but I can guarantee you will not forget it in a hurry. One of the best films I have ever seen. Do whatever you can to see this film.… Expand

A phenomenal accomplishment, absolutely remarkable as a debut. Totally riveting as it methodically unfolds, and it's quite unpredictable. The Aussies have done it again.

I rarely give films a score of 10, but I feel compelled to with this one as it is probably one of the best crime movies I've ever seen. The plot was rich, complicated and fast paced with well placed and not to over the top action/violent scenes that keeps you at the edge of your seat. At the same time, there was extremely good character development for a good number of the cast--rare and difficult to accomplish with more than one or two people--but Animal Kingdom does it for about 4 or 5 of the characters. Best movie of the year--yes, it is better than Inception!… Expand

A thriller from Australia with a muscle. Fantastic performances all around with young James Frecheville in only his second feature film delivers a mature performance and carries the film through an emotional roller-coaster of a Greek style tragedy. The inspired score adds to the drama and the direction of David Michod deserves many awards.

Australia's version of 'the Town', but superior, expelling the clichés. The subject family exudes history and abusive chemistry. Grim. Compelling. Harrowing. Satisfying. 10.

I really, really liked this movie. Original, very realistic, shocking, unpredictable, great acting, and the list goes on. This was not a Hollywood glamorized crime family, this was the real deal. I'm going to add it to my library when it is released on BluRay.

Relentless, powerful and utterly compelling - without a doubt the best film I've seen all year, this film is Shakespearean in its ambition and in the tragic arc of the story, featuring an incredible performance by first-time actor James Frecheville in the role of a young man dropped into the heart of a criminal family which is about to be torn apart. The characters are beautifully, yet economically drawn; the cinematography is precise, the action evolves with intensity, there's humour and there's despair. Music is used sparingly but effectively, and the key actors' performances are often low key but always true.… Expand

Limited character development left me feeling completely detached from the film. Grandiose direction and camera shots felt out of place to the simplistic and linear story. Watch "A Prophet" (2009) instead.

One of the most accomplished Australian films in recent memory, 'Animal Kingdom' is a tale which follows the story of a young man as he's thrust into the life of crime and relentless violence. The performances in this movie are ALL outstanding but kudos must go towards Jacki Weaver who portrays the family matriarch struggling to keep her boys on a tight leash. It's no surprise to hear she was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Janine 'Smurf' Cody. A small and limited budget doesn't always equal bad flick.… Expand

There were a lot of great films from 2010, but none left an impression on me quite like this film did. Brilliant. Perfectly acted (especially Jacki Weaver), great writing, excellent use of music... overall just a great film that has become one of the favorite films of 2010.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The dead woman on the couch, she may not look like a candidate for mother of the year, but don't let her death by misadventure fool you. Joshua's mother, a heroin addict, was indeed a heroine, a lioness who protected her cub from the other lions back home, maneaters all, unafraid to devour their own kind, even the young, as it turns out, when the circumstances surrounding the Cody family change, prompting the familial animals to reveal themselves for what they are, survivalists, who abide by the law of the wild; kill or be killed. Joshua(James Frecheville), the orphaned cub, under the persuasion of fake maternal love, is slow to distinguish friend from foe, although once the boy learns how to spot a predator, he adjusts to their backhanded maneuvers and goes on the offensive, but not before his initial naivety toward wild beasts, both male and female, results in a senseless, thoroughly preventable death. Mother might have been a junkie, but mother knew best. While the nature/nurture debate rages on, in "Animal Kingdom", nurture wins. It's Joshua's environment that turns him into a killer; he learns then unlearns the pack mentality, he adapts, just in the nick of time, before blind loyalty finishes him off. "Animal Kingdom" fascinates. This pack he runs with is no ordinary pack. Like any group of wild beasts, the Cody family is led by an alpha male(Barry, played by Joel Edgerton), and a contender to the throne(Pope, played by Ben Mendelsohn), but actually it's Janine(Jacki Weaver), the den mother, Joshua's grandma, who turns out to be the fiercest of them all. The boy may be family, but he's been away for far too long a period; he's an outsider, and during the interim of his estrangement, the years in which Janine's sons, Joshua's uncles, had made themselves known to the police, this seemingly warm-hearted old woman forgot her grandson's scent. After the betrayal, the moviegoer backtracks to that expository scene where Joshua first meets the family in grandma's living room. From the kitchen, Janine runs the blender, it's the buzzsaw that Joshua never hears; he misses the foreboding cacophony, accepting the domestic noise at face value.… Expand

One of the better films of the year. This is a noir crime drama. It is focused on one family, primarily, while developing all the characters and then allowing us to watch their unraveling. Expect no blockbuster nor made for TV action. The characters were well cast and worked as a tight ensemble. Not sure why there is that much mention of Inception in the other reviews. It certainly was a decent movie but it was destined as a dazzling blockbuster.Therefore, it is a movie and not a 'film' in my opinion.… Expand

After an adolescent boy watches his mother OD, he goes to live with his grandmother and her 4 bank-robbing sons. As the police put on the pressure, we watch the family deteriorate and the young man try to stay afloat. This Australian import has a quiet intensity: sometimes it's just ominous music and others it's slow camera creeps. Either way, it adds the illusion of a tragic undercurrent. While it's not as intense as it promises, it's still an absorbing examination.… Expand

Gritty contemporary crime drama directed with plenty of twists and turns, many of which are physically startling. A modern day greek tragedy full of great performances, especially from Jacki Weaver.

Brilliant crime drama. The closest thing I can compare it to is The Sopranos. A family is at the heart of the story but there is so much going on under the surface in every scene. Jacki Weaver and Guy Pearce are great but James Frecheville steals the show on his debut. That the writer/directior is also making his debut with work of this quality makes David Michod a name to look out for in future. A must see film that shows how much great work is being done outside Hollywood.… Expand

The 'Godfather' of the 21st century.

I actually cared about the protagonist and could literally feel my heart beating during the finale.

After seeing the imbecilic 'Blue Valentine', I had starting to think I might have begun hating movies, but the next day, I saw this.

I happened on this by accident. I'd heard a great deal about Jacki Weavers performance but never really sought out the film. This rivals the Godfather. It's gritty and unpretentious in it's approach to the screenplay. The screenplay is one of the best of 2010. Everything in this film works except perhaps the music which at times becomes over bearing. The performances are all well done with quite a few stand outs. It's a perfect ensemble piece. This is a film that would make a great adaption to the stage. Jacki Weaver tears up the screen.… Expand

I WISH I had THAT 2 hours of my life back!! What in the WORLD were the majority of those leaving reviews here actually watching? Did they merely review the trailer? Poor character development, lacks the basis of a plot, drags on and on and on, and....pretty much....Sucks! The ONLY reason to watch this is to continuously wonder "what's going to happen next?". Well...let me spoil it for you...Nothing! NOTHING happens with the exception of a twist during the last 10 seconds of the movie. Since you won't develop a fondness for the characters anyway and you'll be wondering to yourself "what's the point?" throughout the film, if you must watch this film; watch the first 10 minutes and the last 10 seconds. This movie was ALMOST as thrilling as Blair Witch. Certainly not as entertaining as Snatch, Kill The Irishman, or The Usual Suspects but this turd (I'm sure) received better reviews than any of those films. Just because it's a "Directorial debut" doesn't mean a film should be wholly lacking.… Expand

A really good gangster movie. Jackie Weaver gives a chilling performance as Janine 'Smurf' Cody.

I think I went into this film with the wrong mind set and thus didn't enjoy it all that much. From the plethora of glowing reviews, I assumed this would be an amazing crime drama(as the genre indicates). Thus when I was presented with a very dark character drama, I was a bit taken back (there is very little "crime" in the genre sense, contained in it). You are thrust, much like the main character, into this world and forced to witness a series of very dark events. That's about all you experience though. For a character based drama, the characters were shockingly not very well developed. The fact that the lead character is nearly mute the entire film doesn't help matters and in the end I didn't feel a connection to anyone or anything. The plot was compelling and the acting was good, so despite its flaws I give it a 5/10. Since I'm in the minority I'd definitely recommend you check it out for yourself though.… Expand