Animal Kingdom

Madman

R4

This is director David Michod’s first feature film but if it’s a good example of his work then we will see much more of him. He has given us a tightly constructed crime film about a predatory family and their twisted family values.

Seventeen year old Josh (J) watches his mother die from a drug overdose. There is only one person he can turn to - his grandmother Janine (Jackie Weaver). She immediately takes him in and we meet the rest of her family. There is the family friend Baz – he does holdups, but has sensibly invested some of the money in the stock market where he is making more money than he does from hold-ups. Darren is his younger brother. He does hold-ups and drugs. He is easily led and is often stoned out of his mind anyway. So does Craig, who is almost Josh’s age – they used to play together. Pope is the evil one. He is sly, backstabbing and the family troublemaker. He seems to be a bit mentally unbalanced. Janine, however, loves them all and tolerates their little quirks.

The Armed Robbery Squad doesn’t. It is not having much success stopping robberies or getting convictions in court so some rogue detectives are simply gunning down the criminals. When Bazz is murdered by the police, who claim he had a gun, Pope urges revenge. Two general duties police officers are gunned down in an ambush and the wrath of the police force falls on the brothers. One detective senses Josh is just an innocent party caught up in the family business If he can be turned he may give them the evidence to lock up the brothers. Pope, however, is suspicious and urges the family to get rid of Josh in case he is an informer. This will also involve killing Josh’s girlfriend in case Josh has told her anything.

Now Janine must decide between Josh and her sons. Josh must defend himself against hardened criminals, the police and crooked lawyers.

The film is superbly acted. Jackie Weaver gives the best performance of her career as the doting but fiercely protective grandmother. Ben Mendelsohn as Pope is truly menacing. James Frecheville as Josh at first seems a little wooden in his acting, but that’s just the shock of losing his mum and being taken into a criminal environment that he is not equipped to deal with. All the actors give quality performances that belie the independent nature of the film. There is a little more blood than U.S. audiences would usually see and grandma’s idea of “family values” is not their style either, but it all adds up to a strong, gripping piece of drama.

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