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Friday, December 31, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
Animal Kingdom
When Blood Is Thicker Than
Family
Evolution, devolution: Luke Ford, Sullivan Stapleton, Ben Mendelsohn in David
Michôd's "Animal Kingdom". Sony Pictures Classics
by
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Friday,
December 31, 2010
*-includes correction, in italics
The tense and edgy "Animal Kingdom", is now playing in San Francisco at the
Opera Plaza Cinemas, and it's
the best film of 2010. David Michôd's crime drama centers on a
family in Australia who have a rough trade occupation: murder. The Codys
aren't your sister's Sopranos: they're more diabolical and less humorous.
And when one last crime spree leaves a trail, you have plenty to fear if you are
a literal family member.
Joshua "J" Cody (newcomer James Frecheville, in a solid performance) is
orphaned. He's sent off to stay at the very place his late mother was wary
of: the home of his grandmother Janine Cody, matriarch of the Cody crime gang.
Janine (Jacki Weaver) has sons only a mother could love, and loves them in ways
that a mother shouldn't. J navigates the nervy terrain, including an uncle
(Ben Mendelsohn) who is more mysterious and kooky than the rest of his brethren.
Tempers fray. Logic unravels. Paranoia ensues.
Mr. Michôd paces "Animal Kingdom" with such stealth that you feel the camera is
a panther, prowling deliberately through a landscape of suspense and suspicion.
In a manner that bespeaks Agatha Christie's whodunits but above all the most
hard-boiled crime noirs, "Animal Kingdom" revels in its grimy tone and palpable
characters. You literally don't know what will happen from moment to
moment, and neither do the players on this intricate chessboard. "Animal
Kingdom" is the kind of allegorical drama that melds its tenuous, murky
atmosphere with memorable scenes and imagery. Watching this film you feel
as if you are suffocating as the story's imbroglio draws you in tighter to this
unholy family of killers.
The film is constructed with layers that become cumulatively more unsettling the
deeper Mr. Michôd's well-drawn screenplay delves, mining characters and their
ambitions. Directed with immense confidence, "Animal Kingdom" builds its
camaraderie early on, establishing this family, which appears likable at the
start, and maybe even in the middle, too. Mr. Michôd's ingredients are set
pieces that conjure the best psychological and moral dilemmas and fuses them,
forcing audiences to think about each choice that these individuals make when
the laws of the jungle apply.
The next question may sound naïve and absurd, but do ethics ever really factor
into a crime family -- a blood relative family -- especially one already
knee-deep in murder? Unlike the mob or Mario Puzo's written works, the
Codys have a loose rendering of the code of omerta (or silence). Some
talk, others dare not to. What one says and how one says it is crucial to
whether one will survive this family's zoo-like network.
The intricacies and volatility of this fragile family are further accentuated by
the great work of its ensemble team of actors. Guy Pearce is a standout as
a committed police detective who befriends one of the characters. The
biggest strength of the film and its gutty band of murderers lies in Ms.
Weaver's ice-cold Janine. There are at least three scenes that showcase
her methodical and unforgettable character. Each will blow you away.
The discipline and precision of Ms. Weaver's work, eerily reminiscent but less
theatrical than some of Bette Davis' most wicked screen portrayals, is
remarkable. Mr. Mendelsohn is also staggering to watch as the most
unhinged member of the Cody clan. Both Mr. Mendelsohn and Ms. Weaver, who
is frightening here, merit Oscar nominations.
"Animal Kingdom" is a film teaming with blood, sweat and tears. I watched
transfixed, gripped in a vice of relentless fear and apprehension. This
amazing film from Australia, featuring Mr. Michôd's debut feature film
direction, is just too good to pass up. For two hours you get lost in a
powerhouse of a movie. And the guilty pleasure is that you'll be so
riveted that you will want to watch this spectacle all over again.
With: *Joel Edgerton, Sullivan Stapleton, Luke Ford, Dan Wyllie,
Anthony Hayes, Laura Wheelwright, Mirrah Foulkes, Clayton Jacobson, Susan Prior.
"Animal Kingdom" is rated R by the Motion
Picture Association Of America for violence, drug content and pervasive language.
The film's running time is one hour and 53 minutes.
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