Animal Kingdom

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Animal Kingdom

R

2010

1h 52m

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

160 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In this gritty Australian crime drama, young Joshua J Cody (James Frecheville) is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. This branch of the Cody clan, overseen by J's scheming grandmother, Janine (Jacki Weaver), is heavily involved in various criminal activities, and they quickly indoctrinate the boy into their way of life. However, J is given an opportunity to take a different route when a cop named Leckie (Guy Pearce) seeks to help him leave the family fold.

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Critics Consensus

With confident pacing, a smart script, and a top-notch cast, Animal Kingdom represents the best the Australian film industry has to offer.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

09/09/2017

B+

Wild, gritty, and sharp, Animal Kingdom has a ticking bomb for a heartbeat that pulsates through every scene.

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Laura Kern

Film Comment Magazine

11/13/2013

Seldom is a debut feature handled with such assurance and intelligence

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Violet Lucca

Film Comment Magazine

11/13/2013

Seldom is a debut feature handled with such assurance and intelligence

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

08/08/2022

Animal kingdom is contemporary realism, but Mechod entwines insinuations of a Greek tragedy or Shakespearian drama. [Full review in Spanish]

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Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

07/02/2021

David Michôd for President! In all seriousness, this is a fantastically effective film.

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Ed Travis

Hollywood Jesus

04/06/2020

Animal Kingdom is a slow burning, complex, and sprawling crime epic.

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Sian F

@RT57171128 Mar 31

After being blessed with the amazing script writing, character & story development of the TNT 6 Season Drama series (currently streaming on Netflix NZ) I was hoping to be equally captivated by the Australian film that brought the series to life. It's a shame to say that it pales into insignificance by comparison. Certainly, I can't unsee the beauty, glory & depth of intimacy I felt with the main cast of the longer series, so I'm clearly not coming to this movie as a blank slate - call me biased, but maybe movies just don't cut it anymore when it comes to the character development you get in longer formats. I get that this was based on true events, but I wasn't able to develop empathy when two main characters were killed off in the first 30mins. Love the fact that the show used the basis of these characters to build the memorable Cody clan, but do yourself a favour: watch the series if you haven't already. You won't regret it. But you may regret the time invested watching the film.

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riketscience T

@riketscience Feb 23

Surprised the high rating this series got. I found it very cliché and just poor in all respects. The acting and dialogue were both dismal. It all just felt generic, cheesy and contrived and so unbelievable that after one episode I felt completely uninvolved and that it was a waste of my time and didn't bother with any more episodes.

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Anna C

@RT14277020 Aug 23

crap story...put all crap in the movie

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Matthew P

@RT04736148 Aug 22

Tense throughout with a feeling of palpable dread, unsentimental and unromantic in a genre that too often idealises felonious heroes, it's one of the best Australian movies ever made. Highly recommended for repeated viewing...

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Lisa H

@RT09228607 Jul 14

This review is for the USA version—— OMG!! I hate that I love this show!!! Have binge watched this show from beginning to Last season. I’m ticked off that it ended. Watched all 6 seasons in 2 weeks. Totally adddicting!!

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Dean C

@RT73219312 06/12/2024

Felt so tense throughout the film. Well executed family crime drama with complex characters.

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David Michôd

Director

Ben Mendelsohn

Andrew 'Pope' Cody

Joel Edgerton

Barry 'Baz' Brown

Guy Pearce

Det. Nathan Leckie

Luke Ford

Darren Cody

Jacki Weaver

Janine 'Smurf' Cody

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Synopsis

In this gritty Australian crime drama, young Joshua J Cody (James Frecheville) is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. This branch of the Cody clan, overseen by J's scheming grandmother, Janine (Jacki Weaver), is heavily involved in various criminal activities, and they quickly indoctrinate the boy into their way of life. However, J is given an opportunity to take a different route when a cop named Leckie (Guy Pearce) seeks to help him leave the family fold.

Director: David Michôd
Producer: Liz Watts
Screenwriter: David Michôd
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: Film Victoria, Porchlight Films, Showtime Australia
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Drug Content|Violence)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 13, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 17, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.0M
Runtime: 1h 52m

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