17 year old Josh's mother dies from an OD which forces him to move back into his crime family. His grandmother (Jacki Weaver) is the Ma Barker type in that she stereotypically loves her boys perhaps a little too much in an unhealthy way. The beginning of the movie is filled with a lot of Josh's first person narration which introduces the characters as well as give us Josh's fatalist philosophy that is well beyond his age and maturity.His new family teaches him things he didn't learn living with his mother like: Washing your hands after you use the restroom, playing pull my finger, and using a gun for road rage. As a "crime family" they are rather unimpressive. Selling cocaine seems to be their major source of income and they have help with an inside man to do that. Josh wants out, but doesn't know how to do it.The film at times moves slow but is never dull. It is more drama than action. Josh (James Frecheville) is the main character and is seldom far from a scene.F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Family of criminals goes down the drain on a path of violence. Really that's all there's to it. "Animal Kingdom" is a barrage of violence upon violence. It is structured and acted in a way that makes it feel as if it were a true story, because the performances by the actors are so believable. I read the notes and it seems to be partly inspired by true events. The almost documentary approach in filming hightened this feeling of watching a "fly on the wall" documentary. All this realism made me react intenser to the characters than I would normally do.For example I really loathed the guy who was the head of the family, because of his inbread instinct to solve any problem with a killing spree. What he did was just plain repulsive killing for revenge and to silence witnesses to his crimes. No fun to watch. Fascinating nonetheless. Dont watch this if you like to see some heroic type of violence. The type of violence in "Animal Kingdom" is like a kick in your guts. Director David Michod has got a knick for making movies full of violence that make me feel depressed. Still it is a very good portrayal of what violence does: it breeds more violence. And for that quality and for the real life portrayal by the actors I highly recommend this picture. David Michod's films are the best antidote for the usual hollywood glorification of violence. 8 stars.

Some people think that if a crime film is slow, lacks so called action with lots of running, shooting and car chasing, that it has to be boring. It says more about these people's life and mind than about what makes a film good.In the brilliant crime drama Animal Kingdom there is some shooting, but nothing unnecessary or with very cruel pictures. There is no car chasing but there is some escape running, though we never follow any of the characters longer than needed. It's all there, intense, stunning and with blood. The story is clear, always balanced without any cliché, and when we as viewers enter into the character's lives, it mostly is normal and calm, just like most lives are, even if it's the one of a criminal. Then, there are the levels of individual moral standards, which we are diving into, but without making anything too obvious. There is always something unexpected behind. Never are too many words spoken, and when there is nothing to say, the scenes are guided by brilliant music, not pathetic at all.The story is brilliantly balanced, the dialogue is natural, and the acting is superb, so must the direction also have been, all the way. Animal Kingdom shows us what humans are. We are animals.

Methodical Madness of a Crime Family from Down Under. These are not American Gangsters and lack the Swagger and Loud Mouth of Their Northern Cousins. The Cops seem to have more in Common with Law Enforcement Types from the States.This is an "Inspired by" True Story of an Infamous Family from Oz that has been Told and Retold in the Native Land. Here a Rookie Director manages to Create a Slow Tell Tale of a Bunch of Losers on the Skids.The Central Character is a Young High Schooler brought into the Fold. He is a Cousin and not one of the Brothers and is Prime as a Scapegoat.Consider also, that He is a Withdrawn, Un-Wordy Type, that is Detached, and not quite with it. The Opening Scene where He keeps Glancing back to a Game Show on the TV while His Mother is being Worked on by Paramedics because of a Drug Overdose Speaks Volumes Without Words.This is a Boy of very Few Words and We Watch as He is Drawn In and maybe about to be Quartered, by this Family of Odd Sociopaths. All are Cut from the same Apron Cloth, but Each a Distinctive Personality, Spawned from a Mother who Bakes Cookies and Wet Mouth Kisses Her Boys while They go about Their Forbidden Activities. Overall, a Combination of Gritty, Realistic Crime and Punishment but Comparison to Elite Filmmakers like Scorsese and such are Overstated.This is a somewhat Original take on the Genre and its Strength is a Cold Blooded Familial Bond and Understated Performances from Actors Portraying a Clan of Cave Criminals.