Animal Kingdom

"A crime story"

2010 1h 53m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 944🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes●83Metacritic★7.2IMDB · 63,945

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“A crime story”

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Cast

Ben Mendelsohn
Andrew 'Pope' Cody
Joel Edgerton
Barry 'Baz' Brown
Guy Pearce
Nathan Leckie
Luke Ford
Darren Cody
Jacki Weaver
Janine 'Smurf' Cody
Sullivan Stapleton
Craig Cody
James Frecheville
Joshua 'J' Cody
Dan Wyllie
Ezra White

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: David Michôd
Writers: David Michôd
Languages: English
Countries: Australia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by David Michôd, shot by Adam Arkapaw. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Antony Partos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Luke Doolan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ben Mendelsohn and Joel Edgerton and Guy Pearce carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A crime story".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1313092 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

David Michôd directs. Adam Arkapaw behind the camera. Antony Partos scores. Luke Doolan cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Australia. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Directed by David Michôd, shot by Adam Arkapaw. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Antony Partos. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Luke Doolan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ben Mendelsohn and Joel Edgerton and Guy Pearce carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A crime story".
8IMDB entry: tt1313092 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "drug dealer", "heroin", "trial", "melbourne, australia".

The technical file

Cinematography: Adam Arkapaw
Original score: Antony Partos
Editing: Luke Doolan
Production design: Josephine Ford
Costume design: Cappi Ireland
Makeup / hair: Kirsten Veysey
Sound: Sam Petty
Stunt coordinator: Zev Eleftheriou
Runtime: 113 min · 1h 53m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $5,000,000
Box office: $1,000,000
Return: 20% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Animal Kingdom (2010)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 83/100
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 63,945 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 39 wins & 60 nominations total

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role
AACTA Award for Best Film
Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture
National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress
Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize
AFI Members' Choice Award
AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score
AACTA Award for Best Editing

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

David Michôd

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2014-11-05
★ 8/10
Terrific movie and terrific performances, specially Jacki Weaver's Very well scripted and rolled.
The Movie Diorama2020-01-16
★ 8/10
Animal Kingdom unleashes an unfaltering roar across Australia. The animal kingdom, a hierarchical group of biological creatures that zoologically determine species that are predacious by nature or hunted down by those stronger than them. It is the laws of nature, Darwinism, that the mighty feed on the weak. Natural selection. We, specifically as human apex predators, do what we must in order to increase our survivability odds. For the Cody family, a familial crime syndicate based in Melbourne, that results in suppressing even the most friendly of noises. Their successful drug-distribution has enabled them to purchase a myriad of luxuries in life, including a quaint abode where seventeen year-old Josh stays after his mother overdoses on heroin. With no alternative shelter, he nestles into the heart of the Cody family tree, commanded by the sweet innocent matriarch who’d do anything and everything to see her boys home and safe. Michôd based this fictitious story on the Pettingill family, where a pair of brothers were acquitted for slaughtering two police officers at point blank range. Offering an apt yet palpable string of tension that questions the utilisation of firearms, a measure to prevent anarchy not commence it, and the lengths a family will partake in for the sake of hereditary aggregation. His screenplay is smart, boasting a range of unexpectedly intelligent character choices that defy typical tropes within other comparative gangster features. If a main character bravely meets their early demise, it’s executed with no padding or fuss. Bang! Suddenly, Michôd moves on. An irrefutably powerful and perceptible technique that accompanied the meticulously concise script that he had written. The Cody family members are developed substantially, with their affection for each other explicitly displayed for added finesse. The line between psychopathy and scrupulous behaviour is depicted through the character of “Pope”. His outrageous criminal activity tests the loyalty of his brothers whilst embedding a commanding presence within the family. We may view the shenanigans through Josh’s innocent perspective, yet somehow Michôd transforms these detestable characters into, well, protagonists. His attentive detail in illustrating the affectionate bonds within the family, instantly adds a light touch of self-justification for their crimes. Impeccably clever, to turn a group of murderous individuals into something more affable. None of this though would’ve been possible without the sensational performances all-round, with three highlights in particular. Mendelsohn showed the world how brutal his antagonistic capabilities can be, with an arresting performance that cemented his talents almost immediately. Pearce, portraying the “good cop” by convincing Josh not to become a criminal, balances the ethical and moral dilemmas that the main character encounters with a soothingly calm performance. Then Weaver, capitalising on her sweet demeanour, venomously encourages the family through her captivating matriarchal performance. The Brando of Melbourne, perhaps? Frecheville lacked emotional conviction, mostly offering a monotonously one-dimensional approach, that forced his uncles to be more enticing as individuals. Occasionally Doolan’s sublime editing consequently resulted in the script feeling somewhat scattershot, particularly in the second act, where the tension dissipated after the shopping centre scene. The introduction of the family’s barrister before the court hearing was also spontaneous, resulting in Phillips’ performance being less than impressive. Still, Animal Kingdom is quite simply one of Australia’s greatest exports. Tight, taut and packed full of explosive performances that provide an animalistic bite to this crime story. A rejuvenated modern-take on the classic gangster formula.
Filipe Manuel Neto2022-08-04
★ 6/10
A brutal film, where there are no nice people or good guys, but which tells us a good story, in a convincing and credible way. I expected more from this film. It's good, it has an interesting history, but it's lukewarm and uncomfortable, and there's not much to arouse our sympathy. I've seen a lot of films, I'm not sure if this was the first Australian film I saw, but it was certainly the first Australian film that I knew was Australian at the time I was watching it. Inspired by a real-life situation, the film creates a story in which the police seek to capture the members of a family well immersed in Melbourne's criminality. To achieve this, they seek the help of the most balanced person in that family: a young teenager. The movie is good, the script is well written, and it has a lot of very good twists, but it's not a nice or pleasant movie. The characters are very harsh and unsympathetic, and violence and crime are a significant part of their lives, in a way that seems, almost, like a “family business”, proudly transmitted. Josh, the protagonist, is perhaps the one who will better move our sympathy, even though he is too introverted to create good chemistry with the audience. Even the police, with their brutality and cruelty, are far from being the heroes, with only a very thin distance that differentiates them from the bandits. I liked the performance of Ben Mendelsohn, who gave life to the most brutal and dominant member of that family, a man that the police themselves seem to have sworn to death, and who doesn't think twice if he has to kill. Jacki Weaver is equally powerful and very good at playing the matriarch of the family, a woman who seems proud of her children's criminal record and will stop at nothing to protect them, no matter what they do. It was no accident that she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Also, Guy Pearce met the proposed challenge and gave an excellent performance in the role of a conventional police detective. The film also has good dramatic work by Joel Edgerton, James Frecheville and Sullivan Stapleton. Technically, it's a discreet film, which bets more on a strong script and a good work by the cast than, properly speaking, on any kind of visual or artistic device. More than a visual work, this film seeks to tell a story – a rough, uncomfortable, sad and acidic story, but well written and intense. The cinematography is regular, the editing too, the sets and costumes are what you would expect to find here. The special, visual and sound effects used are discreet but functional.