Movie · 2010 · Crime, Drama · 1h 53m · R · English
Curator score: 7.0/10 (103.2K ratings)
A crime story
Overview
Joshua “J” is taken in by his extended family after his mother dies of an overdose. The clan, ruled by J’s scheming grandmother, is heavily involved in criminal activities, and J is soon indoctrinated into their way of life. But J is given a chance to take another path when a cop seeks to help him.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.0/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.76/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Metacritic: 83
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
David Michôd
Production
Porchlight Films, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, Screen NSW, Fulcrum Media Finance, Showtime Australia
Cast
Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frecheville, Dan Wyllie, Anthony Hayes, Laura Wheelwright, Mirrah Foulkes, Justin Rosniak, Susan Prior, Clayton Jacobson, Anna Lise Phillips, Josh Helman, Tim Phillipps, Kieran Darcy-Smith, Jack Heanly, Andy McPhee
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A bleak, tightly wound crime drama with real menace and a strong sense of place. It’s less about plot mechanics than the slow corrosion of a teenager being absorbed into a violent family system, and the performances make that pressure feel lived-in.
Best for
Viewers who like slow-burn crime dramas
Fans of dysfunctional family stories
People drawn to tense, character-first thrillers
Audiences interested in Australian cinema
Skip if
You want a fast-paced gangster movie
You prefer clear-cut heroes and villains
You’re looking for a lot of action or spectacle
You dislike grim, emotionally cold crime stories
Overview
Animal Kingdom is a crime film that understands power as family habit. Rather than chasing twists, it watches a teenager drift into a criminal household where loyalty, fear, and manipulation are all part of the same inheritance. The result is tense, intimate, and often quietly horrifying.
Worth noting
What stands out most is the film’s control. It moves with patience, letting the atmosphere thicken until even small gestures feel dangerous. The cast gives it a bruised authenticity, especially in the way menace can sit beside ordinary domestic behavior.
Bottom line
It’s not a flashy thriller, and that restraint may be the point. The movie is strongest when it treats criminal life less like mythology and more like a toxic ecosystem, one that can swallow the vulnerable before they understand the rules.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Connor (3.5★) · 455 likes
I don’t have a cool review for this so here’s a random story. my mum wanted to watch this movie. It’s meant to be loosely based on a real family located here in Melbourne, Australia called the “Pettingill family” They were full of murderers, traffickers etc you get the picture. they weren’t the friendliest family anyways fast forward to the end of the movie. My mum gets up and casually says to me “Oh yeah, when I was younger me… more I don’t have a cool review for this so here’s a random story. my mum wanted to watch this movie. It’s meant to be loosely based on a real family located here in Melbourne, Australia called the “Pettingill family” They were full of murderers, traffickers etc you get the picture. they weren’t the friendliest family anyways fast forward to the end of the movie. My mum gets up and casually says to me “Oh yeah, when I was younger me… more
aaronchen · 270 likes
If animal kingdom was today
Ben Mendehlson: are you non-binary mate? It’s ok if you are.
DirkH (4.5★) · 233 likes
Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.33
I have just watched one of my favourite crime films ever. And that's kind of a big deal as it is a genre I'm not particularly fond of.
This film has an almost meditative pace, with characters that feel genuine and a plot that is straightforward in content, but refreshingly contemplative in its narrative. The atmosphere is very tense, but always in the background.
And I guess that's what appealed to me most.… more
Rafael "Mister Movie" Jovine (4.5★) · 205 likes
Nothing says better that your movie is a classic in the making, one of the greatest crime thrillers, like the fact few years after its release it didn't only launch a successful TV series, but also a reboot of sorts (Fargo: Season 2) and a project with a lot of parallels, to the point that the connection between both is apparent, plus there's the fact it shares one of the main cast playing a similar role (Bloodline).
And indeed all… more
𝚮𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖆𝖉𝖊 🙏🏻 (4★) · 162 likes
I couldn't figure out why Weaver was nominated for this and then last 25 minutes hit and I'm like "oh".
Ben's menacing stare was absolutely soul piercing.
2011 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 53m · R · Curator 6.8/10 (710.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Philo, MUBI, OVID, Cineverse, Midnight Pulp, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
Not a crime film, but it shares the dread of watching a young person shaped by a deeply damaged family environment.