Jason KingAnimal Kingdom (9/10)
June 1st 2010 08:59
:
Best Oz Film in Years - SUNDANCE WINNER
Category: No Category
Animal Kingdom (9/10)
This is an Australian film I have been waiting on for a long time. It is very basically a film adaptation of Underbelly with a new story and it is made close to perfection. It is gritty, edgy and very real and contains so much amazement that has been lacking in Australian films for a very long time. NOT ONLY THIS - IT WAS THE WINNER OF SUNDANCE THIS YEAR.
Similar to The Square in its intrigue this is one Australian film that will slam a home run on international markets. When films open overseas this is the quality we want.
It has an Australian cast not to be trifled with. Leading the pack is Ben Mendelsohn in the performance of his career, followed by Joel Edgerton, who only has a brief but strong performance. Newcomer James Frecheville holds his own, with limited dialogue and more facial acting. Luke Ford, exported actor from the Mummy 3 (we won't hold this against him) has also won an AFI best supporting actor trophy for The Back Balloon and is very easy on the eye
. Then there is my absolute favourite in the film Jacki Weaver, who has an AFI in the bag for what I also consider her performance of a lifetime. There is also a smaller role played buy Guy Pearce who brings Australian acting international strength to the table.
In fact this film should be renamed AFI as I am quite confident every single AFI is heading its way this coming awards night. I do hope they save one or two for Beneath Hill 60 as it deserves one or two. Rumour has it that the film is so good that it may not only win every AFI this year but it could garner an Oscar nomination for the film, and two of its stars. Fingers crossed - it would be good to see.
Animal Kingdom tells the story of seventeen year old J (Josh), as he navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and of a detective who thinks he can save him. This to me is a more realistic telling of a Melbourne underworld - it has all the glitz and glamour removed and tells it straight to the point. From the very opening scene you are punched in the gut and the film carries on this way with J's inescapable situation. You feel so sorry for this kid who appears naive and without an escape from what he is born into. This film is all about how he can fit into this life and survive on his own two feet, he is a neglected being who must mature quickly in order to survive and overcome his adversities.
The film is deceiving at times as it's a family story and about a family with extraordinary circumstances but don't be fooled - this family are a bunch of criminals and they are animals at heart and it is pretty much a kill or be killed attitude for survival. Darwin would be impressed by this film. You will like these family members but then they will betray you on many levels. It is very dark and Weaver can border on satanical as the happy little cookie baking mum, who could be comfortable sitting to tea with Hannibal Lecter. She is so happy with her brood of mostly Satan's spawn. For me this is what makes the film for me. Weaver is just chilling and I could not take my eyes off her. I found Mendelsohn similar but Weaver a few bounds ahead.
There were two things that annoyed me in this film. The first was the abundant and overuse of slow motion. I get it makes a strong point at times but it NEEDS to be used to make the point and not for the majority of the film. It surprised me that Luke Doolan did not pick this up. He is the editor of the film and one of the strongest in the country. Besides his many video clips for the likes of Missy Higgins, Ben Lee, Eskimo Joe, Grinspoon etc he also has some amazing films under him with Ten Empty and The Square being his most notable.
The other thing that annoyed me in this film was the era it was set in. The film is very vague in its explanation of actual timeline. The cars appear modern and the clothing is 80's and then you have Guy Pearce with a ridiculous moustache that gives a 70's feel. On top of this the film has a lot of the scenes shot in the Cody household, which is a 1960's National Trust property. Most of the furniture was sourced from the Salvos and St Vinnies so it lacked an age and while it was not confusing because it was a minimal worry it was slightly annoying because I kept trying to place it in the world. And for this I needed a time period.
The cinematography is top notch but this is not a film about winning cinematography awards, it is a film using cinematography to achieve moods and themes. The main theme of the cinematography for this was realism, so there is nothing flashy about it - it is raw and effective. It tried to utilise as many natural light sources as possible and for such a dark film it did not need to make every scene dark - the actors do that for you. They did use mainly tungsten stock for all the police station scenes and this was to make a sterile vibe for the police and it worked well, it did not contrast with the crime family as they did not have a color associated with them - except for more natural "every day neighbourly" look. This is what makes the characters more chilling, you all know people like this, you don't however, know what they get up to behind closed doors.
One of the enjoyable and successful points of the costumes was to make them look like poorer average suburbanites and not the wealthy splashing-their-illegal-wealth around criminals. This is what saturated the film in realism and made them more sinister and chilling. They are real people you just don't want to fuck with. They also achieved this by not over dramatising the violence - it is real and in your face but you don't see abundant gore and each violent scene is quick and straight to the point but you feel as though you are watching it down the barrel of a shotgun - each death is very powerful on its own.
Another thing I love is the music - the song "I'm All Out of Love" by Air Supply is one of the most perfect marriages to a film I have seen for years - the trailer gave me chills and the film complemented the lot.
- VIDEO IS A VERY LARGE SIZE - TO SEE IT PROPERLY WATCH IT IN FULL SIZE ONSCREEN - APOLOGIES FOR IT BEING CUT OFF ON THE SITE
I fear the film may shoot itself in the head though, I would not think it wise to release an Australian film on the same date as Sex and The City 2 - while they are millions of miles apart on story and realism Sex and The City will be playing everywhere and if people only choose one film a week then Animal Kingdom will suffer greatly. It will do well at art-house independents but the film deserves a widespread release and with the country still all aboard the Underbelly tram then this film should garner a strong audience. Whether Sex and the City will steal this audience is yet to be seen. It is releasing on June 3 and I highly recommend a viewing of this, but be warned it is dark and real. Thoroughly enjoyed it - worth (9/10)
This is an Australian film I have been waiting on for a long time. It is very basically a film adaptation of Underbelly with a new story and it is made close to perfection. It is gritty, edgy and very real and contains so much amazement that has been lacking in Australian films for a very long time. NOT ONLY THIS - IT WAS THE WINNER OF SUNDANCE THIS YEAR.
Similar to The Square in its intrigue this is one Australian film that will slam a home run on international markets. When films open overseas this is the quality we want.
It has an Australian cast not to be trifled with. Leading the pack is Ben Mendelsohn in the performance of his career, followed by Joel Edgerton, who only has a brief but strong performance. Newcomer James Frecheville holds his own, with limited dialogue and more facial acting. Luke Ford, exported actor from the Mummy 3 (we won't hold this against him) has also won an AFI best supporting actor trophy for The Back Balloon and is very easy on the eye
. Then there is my absolute favourite in the film Jacki Weaver, who has an AFI in the bag for what I also consider her performance of a lifetime. There is also a smaller role played buy Guy Pearce who brings Australian acting international strength to the table.
In fact this film should be renamed AFI as I am quite confident every single AFI is heading its way this coming awards night. I do hope they save one or two for Beneath Hill 60 as it deserves one or two. Rumour has it that the film is so good that it may not only win every AFI this year but it could garner an Oscar nomination for the film, and two of its stars. Fingers crossed - it would be good to see.
Animal Kingdom tells the story of seventeen year old J (Josh), as he navigates his survival amongst an explosive criminal family and of a detective who thinks he can save him. This to me is a more realistic telling of a Melbourne underworld - it has all the glitz and glamour removed and tells it straight to the point. From the very opening scene you are punched in the gut and the film carries on this way with J's inescapable situation. You feel so sorry for this kid who appears naive and without an escape from what he is born into. This film is all about how he can fit into this life and survive on his own two feet, he is a neglected being who must mature quickly in order to survive and overcome his adversities.
The film is deceiving at times as it's a family story and about a family with extraordinary circumstances but don't be fooled - this family are a bunch of criminals and they are animals at heart and it is pretty much a kill or be killed attitude for survival. Darwin would be impressed by this film. You will like these family members but then they will betray you on many levels. It is very dark and Weaver can border on satanical as the happy little cookie baking mum, who could be comfortable sitting to tea with Hannibal Lecter. She is so happy with her brood of mostly Satan's spawn. For me this is what makes the film for me. Weaver is just chilling and I could not take my eyes off her. I found Mendelsohn similar but Weaver a few bounds ahead.
There were two things that annoyed me in this film. The first was the abundant and overuse of slow motion. I get it makes a strong point at times but it NEEDS to be used to make the point and not for the majority of the film. It surprised me that Luke Doolan did not pick this up. He is the editor of the film and one of the strongest in the country. Besides his many video clips for the likes of Missy Higgins, Ben Lee, Eskimo Joe, Grinspoon etc he also has some amazing films under him with Ten Empty and The Square being his most notable.
The other thing that annoyed me in this film was the era it was set in. The film is very vague in its explanation of actual timeline. The cars appear modern and the clothing is 80's and then you have Guy Pearce with a ridiculous moustache that gives a 70's feel. On top of this the film has a lot of the scenes shot in the Cody household, which is a 1960's National Trust property. Most of the furniture was sourced from the Salvos and St Vinnies so it lacked an age and while it was not confusing because it was a minimal worry it was slightly annoying because I kept trying to place it in the world. And for this I needed a time period.
The cinematography is top notch but this is not a film about winning cinematography awards, it is a film using cinematography to achieve moods and themes. The main theme of the cinematography for this was realism, so there is nothing flashy about it - it is raw and effective. It tried to utilise as many natural light sources as possible and for such a dark film it did not need to make every scene dark - the actors do that for you. They did use mainly tungsten stock for all the police station scenes and this was to make a sterile vibe for the police and it worked well, it did not contrast with the crime family as they did not have a color associated with them - except for more natural "every day neighbourly" look. This is what makes the characters more chilling, you all know people like this, you don't however, know what they get up to behind closed doors.
One of the enjoyable and successful points of the costumes was to make them look like poorer average suburbanites and not the wealthy splashing-their-illegal-wealth around criminals. This is what saturated the film in realism and made them more sinister and chilling. They are real people you just don't want to fuck with. They also achieved this by not over dramatising the violence - it is real and in your face but you don't see abundant gore and each violent scene is quick and straight to the point but you feel as though you are watching it down the barrel of a shotgun - each death is very powerful on its own.
Another thing I love is the music - the song "I'm All Out of Love" by Air Supply is one of the most perfect marriages to a film I have seen for years - the trailer gave me chills and the film complemented the lot.
- VIDEO IS A VERY LARGE SIZE - TO SEE IT PROPERLY WATCH IT IN FULL SIZE ONSCREEN - APOLOGIES FOR IT BEING CUT OFF ON THE SITE
I fear the film may shoot itself in the head though, I would not think it wise to release an Australian film on the same date as Sex and The City 2 - while they are millions of miles apart on story and realism Sex and The City will be playing everywhere and if people only choose one film a week then Animal Kingdom will suffer greatly. It will do well at art-house independents but the film deserves a widespread release and with the country still all aboard the Underbelly tram then this film should garner a strong audience. Whether Sex and the City will steal this audience is yet to be seen. It is releasing on June 3 and I highly recommend a viewing of this, but be warned it is dark and real. Thoroughly enjoyed it - worth (9/10)
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Comment by Akito Hirata
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I didn't mind the vagueness of the period setting. It added a sense of timelessness which I really felt added dramatic weight. I also thought Guy's mo was perfect, and so many cops have them, it's not just a 70s thing.
The slow-mo was used in a number of instances, but not throughout the movie. I agree, it's one of those visual techniques that needs to be used sparingly and with intelligence. I actually thought David Michod handled them well.
As I said in my review David's style reminded me overall of some of the best work of two masters of the crime genre: Scorsese and Coppola.
Glad you liked it so much Jason! When I posted my review a couple of weeks back I actually thought you'd beat me to it. Ha!
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
I read in the production notes that plenty of cops have mo's but I am sorry - I never see them. Did nothing for me. The time period didn't bother me - I just found it quite vague (as you said).
The slow mo was overkill for me but not as bad as Book of Eli
And you must have been in the same screening as myself - I think you put your review out the next day - I wanted to wait a bit closer to the release date. Now fingers crossed it gets some box office
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Were you downstairs at the Reel Room screening??
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Comment by Matt Shea
Damn Jason - you obviously were sucked in by this.
Great write-up, sir, and I tend to be split between you and Bryn.
They kept pushing this back so it wouldn't clash with IM2 etc. I think they did they best they could in the end - I wouldn't consider SATC to be a real competitor, and it's definitley better than releasing it the same week as The A-Team.
As for the film itself, I didn't have a problem with the slow-mo or time period, but I did notice the shaggy daggy gentlemen of the constabulary (you can read my riffing on it with my review here) - it just seems to be a thing with Australian films - I don't really mind it, but then I notice it, which perhaps isn't a good thing.
And great call on I'm All Out of Love - I don't think I'll be able to listen to that tune for a long, long time (not that I ever did before the film, I guess).
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Matt, wait til you see The Loved Ones which features The Lonesome Loser at movie's start.
But the Aussie constabulary are shaggy daggy! I don't care what anyone says, this movie rocks.
Comment by Jason King
Sydney Table
Salty Popcorn
Total Randomness
Agreed re A Team but I know my local has Sex and the City in 4 of its 6 cinemas and Kingdom is releasing in the smallest cinema. It will get limited marketing and it is a shame - I will be talking about it tomorrow on my new show, pleading people to go and watch it
I just want to listen to the song over and over again - truly loved it.
Bryn - u massive exaggerator
Comment by Akito Hirata
kidding