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| Movie Review: Animal Kingdom Alternate Title: Family Ties
Story: This debut feature film
by writer and director David Michôd
is a knockout. It has everything that fans of crime dramas crave. It
is dark, in that grand old film noir style. It is brooding. It has twists
and turns. It has sinister characters that scare the heck out of you.
It has fabulous pacing, great cinematography and an eerie sound design
that will make the little hairs on the back of your neck stand up. So what is all the fuss about? Young 17 year
old J Cody has just lost his mother to a heroin overdose.
With nowhere to turn he contacts his estranged Grandmother. This is
not your ordinary Nana of memory. 'Smurf' Cody is a
60 something spitfire with total control over her three sons and their
crime empire built around armed robberies and drug dealing. Add to the
mix some crooked cops, murder and revenge killings and you get a first
rate movie. The laws of the jungle rule in this feral family. You know those old
adages such as 'might makes right,' 'every man for himself,' 'eat or
be eaten,' and of course, 'eat your young' are up front and central
to this riveting film. I won't tell you much more about the plot other than to say that it
is a slow, steady build up of tension where evil abounds, The pacing
lures you into a false sense of security. Just when your shoulders start
to relax - the action mounts. Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJeO_Yfz1ZE Acting: The acting is all around first rate. Ben
Mendelsohn as Pope Cody is chilling and perfect. Joel
Edgerton as Baz Brown leaves too soon. Guy Pearce,
one of my favorites as Detective Senior Sgt. Nathan Leckie gives his
usually fabulous performance. Luke Ford as Darren Cody
is sympathetic. Jacki Weaver as Smurf Cody will surely
win more awards for her performance. Sullivan Stapleton
as Craig Cody is terrific and first timer James Frecheville
as J Cody will leave you breathless. Trivia: David Michod's film won the 2010 Grand Jury
Prize World Cinema for Animal Kingdom. Guy Pearce was
born in 1967 in Cambridgeshire, England, Guy Pearce emigrated to Australia
to live in Geelong, Victoria, with his family when he was three years
old. Five years later, his father, a New Zealand pilot, died in a plane
crash leaving his English schoolteacher mother to care for him and his
older sister Tracey. He has amazed film critics and audiences alike
with his magnificent performances in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen
of the Desert (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), and Ravenous (1999).
Next to acting, Guy has had a life long passion for music. In addition
to singing and playing the guitar, saxophone, and piano, he has written
hundreds of songs, including several that were featured in the movie
Hunting (1991).
Predilection: I like crime dramas.
Critters: A dog
Food: Meat and potatoes, sausages in a bun
Sex Spectrum: None
Soundtrack: An unforgettable soundtrack by Antony
Partos
Opening Titles: A knockout opening scene with J Cody
sitting in his living room with his overdosed mother. The title sequence
involves still black and white photos of the gang during their crime
sprees.
Visual Art: Director of photography, Adam
Arkapaw creates a template that is visually rich and seductive.
One of the major scenes also takes place in an Art Museum.
Theater Audience: Crowded for a Sunday afternoon
on opening weekend.
Sappy Factor: 0
Quirky Meter: 0
Squirm Scale: I should have squirmed but I did not.
Drift Factor: I was riveted throughout.
Predictability Level: The ending scene was a surprise
to me.
Tissue Usage: 0
Oscar Worthy: Yes
Big Screen or Rental: Definitely go for the big screen
if it comes your way.
Length: Under two hours
LOBO HOWLS: 9 |