I can't big this show up enough! Really enjoying it, up to season 3 so far. It's grabbed my attention on many levels. Long may it continue.

Great Australian crime-drama. Set in Australia, Animal Kingdom follows the story of "J", a young man who is taken in by his Granny after the sudden death of his junkie Mother. While in the company of his Grandmother and Uncles "J" finds out that they are involved in some of the worst crimes that have been taking place in Melbourne, in the eighties. What now stays in front of him is to try and find his way out of their clan or become one of them. The film delivers a great deal of realistic energy and feel of realism. This realism is achieved through the unfolding story whose logic is unrelentingly factual, and the extraordinary acting of a number of the players, including Jacki Weaver, James Frecheville, Ben Mendelsohn and Guy Pearce. Although violent, the film is to be commended for not celebrating crime and violence. The scenes of violence are short, unexpected, energetic, delivered briskly without lingering on unnecessary gore effects and details. The characters and violence are simply what they are, and all the more authentic for it. Great first feature debut by David Michod as a director. Highly recommended.

Pope in this movie, his eyes, they're pure evil. What else can you say, the first moment he enters the act, you just get a massively uneasy feeling wash over you. The music in this movie is really well done. Came to this movie after watching The Rover and this one is as much if not better than that one. It has the same feel to it. Very stark deep and emotionally involving.. The characters develop incredibly well, you end up feeling their feelings. When Pope murders the guy's girlfriend, that was pretty much one of the most evil things I've ever seen in a movie. It was actually absolutely shocking. The animal kingdom is full of beasts. Let us not forget that humans are beasts just like all the rest.

Despite it's intriguing title, although we're not in Africa, but inner city Melbourne, during a more frightening time, when murder was really up, here was a crime tale, a true one, that I finally got around to watching and I must say I was surprisingly, tastily, gratefully entertained, during the whole engrossing affair. Next to Snowtown, these were the two best Aussie films I've seen in years, both winners, and rightfully, deservedly so. James Frenchville, as J., a fish out of water, here is taken under his Auntie's (Mama Smurf) wing, when his mother o.d's. He then soon realizes of the madness surrounding him, involving Smurf's out of control sons, one of them spiralling into madness, after a revenge execution of his brother by some avenging and shady police. What follows is a revenge attack of three young innocent cops to make a point. Jay is taken in, where he's questioned by a well meaning detective, (Pearce, solid and likable in the role, one of the strongest actually) where to honor family or to avoid real possibility chance of being bumped off by his crime family tree, this messed up teen must lie his way out, and J isn't a really convincing liar. Soon he finds himself in a really dangerous situation, where as things heat up more, he must choose, where he opts to go into witness protection, which with Pearce and his yahoos, doesn't really inspire security. Pearce's family here, had an interesting character touch, where's he leads a simple life with wifie, his little girl, autistic in this. Weaver stars in the role of her lifetime as the manipulative Judy Moran (Mama Smurf) where taken as noticeable acting commodity by Hollywood, inspires actors to never give up, or realize it's not too late to be noticed by those people. The build up to the end is not as you expect, with a nasty twist in it's finale, if also disappointing aspect from Jay's change of heart. Animal Kingdom is one movie I really enjoyed with a stellar heavy weight, cast, where Mendelsohn's AFI award winning role as the real messed up brother of the family, is nothing short of acting brilliance. It's an intensely driven film with some real suffocatingly scary moments, in a film that is so darn entertaining, your eyes will never leave the screen.