MOVIE REVIEW: Animal Kingdom (2010)

Some films just come out of nowhere from different corners of the Earth, and you wonder what makes them so acclaimed. In this case, it was Academy Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress Jacki Weaver's intriguing performance as an Australian crime family matriarch in the film Animal Kingdom. As a stickler for great acting, I became even more intrigued by the trailer, marketing the film as a tense thriller, along with the blurbs that touted the film as "...an Australian Goodfellas". Unfortunately, whoever wrote that blurb may not have realized that Animal Kingdom is anything but either of the last two. Despite some promising setups, I must admit I was disappointed.

In Melbourne, 17 year-old '"J"'s mother is taken to the hospital, DOA from a drug overdose. Orphaned J seeks out his grandmother, affectionately nicknamed "Smurf". Smurf takes J into her home, where he realizes his extended family is really operating one of the most powerful crime rings in Australia. His hot-headed uncles represent various "trades" from car theft to drug dealing. When the heat goes up and J becomes embroilled in murder, involving a group of corrupt cops, he goes into a witness protection program. Forced to walk the line between his corrupt family and the ethically questionable authorities, J must act fast if he is to stay alive.

I can understand why many people find Animal Kingdom to be a great film, it's got wonderful characterizations and a story whose complexity perhaps rivals that of The Departed. It is unfortunate, however, in my opinion, that the direction for the film is staler than a week-old loaf of bread. While some may appreciate the long, drawn out segments of chasing or violent aftermath punctuated by the somber score, I found it to be incredibly dull and perfunctory. Even though the acting was more-or-less okay, so much of the dramatic moments were lacking in any sort of catharsis for me. In other words, I got the basic gist of the story, but the director's vision didn't meld well with my expectations and the result, overall, was a film that wasn't very out-of-the-ordinary in comparison to other crime tales. Oh well.

6/10

Peace,
- Jon