Animal Kingdom DVD Review

A Brilliant 4 Star film.
Animal Kingdom is a cracking film set in Australia where Joshua 'J' Cody (newcomer James Frecheville) a young man coming to terms with the premature death of his mother from an overdose, he also has to deal with the fact that there is no one else to look after him than his Grandmother.

Janine 'smurf' Cody, (Jacki Weaver, Picnic at hanging rock 1975) plays the mother to three sons whom she knows are well beyond the right side of the law, but she dotes on them as if they were little angels. 'J' tries to fit in and is soon embroiled in the family ways, especially by the eldest son Andrew 'pope' Cody, ( Ben Mendelsohn, Knowing 2009) who is extremely paranoid that the police are out to kill him and the other brothers as there have been others shot by the police, headed by Det Nathan Leckie, (Guy Pearce, Memento 2000).

His other brothers are Craig and Darren, ( Sullivan Stapelton, Darkness falls 2003 and Luke Edgerton, King Arthur 2004).

There escapades soon lead to the green 'J' being held for questioning, which leads to Pope sliding further from normal thought processes.

Guy doesn't appear as often as I would have thought but what he does is solid and delivered straight, but Mendelsohns' performance of the paranoid armed robber fuels this platform for the new Mr Frecheville and he delivers brilliantly a performance that lead to future thing no doubt.

This is a gripping film done the Australian way and all the better for it I say, I believe if this had the Hollywood makeover it would lose it's edge.

DVD Features:

• Making of. 1hr 9mins, with pre-post production commentaries.
• Interviews with the director and all the major players.
• Trailer.

Available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD from July 11, 2011

Guy Pearce hits cinemas with Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom hits UK screens today and now optimum has released two clips and a redband trailer

Clip - Leckie's advice to J

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Clip - Smurf and J get ready for a funeral

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RED BAND Clip - Road Rage, Cody Style

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Welcome to the Melbourne underworld, where tensions are building between dangerous criminals and equally dangerous police. It?s the Wild West, played out on the city’s streets.

Armed robber Pope Cody (BEN MENDELSOHN) is in hiding, on the run from a gang of renegade detectives who want him dead. His business partner and best friend, Barry 'Baz' Brown (JOEL EDGERTON), wants out of the game, recognising that their days of old-school banditry are all but over. Pope's younger brother, the speed-addicted and volatile Craig Cody (SULLIVAN STAPLETON), is making a fortune in the illicit substances trade – the true cash cow of the modern criminal fraternity – whilst the youngest Cody brother, Darren (LUKE FORD), naively navigates his way through this criminal world – the only world his family has ever known.

And into this world arrives their nephew, Joshua 'J' Cody (JAMES FRECHEVILLE).

Following the death of his mother, J finds himself living with his hitherto estranged family, under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Smurf (JACKI WEAVER), mother to the Cody boys.

J quickly comes to believe that he is a player in this world. But, as he soon discovers, this world is far larger and more menacing than he could ever imagine.

When tensions between family and police reach a bloody peak, J finds himself at the centre of a cold-blooded revenge plot that turns the family upside down, and which also threatens to ensnare innocent bystanders such as his girlfriend, Nicky (LAURA WHEELWRIGHT).

One senior cop, Nathan Leckie (GUY PEARCE), must lure J into the police fold and then shepherd him through a complex minefield of witness protection, corrupt cops, slippery lawyers and a paranoid and vengeful underworld.

J comes to realise that in order to survive he must determine how the game is played – he must somehow choose his place in this cunning and brutal animal kingdom. He must work out where he fits.

Animal Kingdom is released in cinemas on February 25, 2011.
Images and trailer © Optimum Releasing

Animal Kingdom wins big in Australia

After wining ten awards at the Australian Film Institute Awards and "Best First Feature" and the New York film Critics Circle, Optimum has released a new, updated, poster and production notes. I can't seen any differences between the new one and the one that was released a little while ago. I have been told that there is a subtle change to the title text. [it's gone from light blue to white - Ed.]

Welcome to the Melbourne underworld, where tensions are building between dangerous criminals and equally dangerous police. It?s the Wild West, played out on the city’s streets.

Armed robber Pope Cody (BEN MENDELSOHN) is in hiding, on the run from a gang of renegade detectives who want him dead. His business partner and best friend, Barry 'Baz' Brown (JOEL EDGERTON), wants out of the game, recognising that their days of old-school banditry are all but over. Pope's younger brother, the speed-addicted and volatile Craig Cody (SULLIVAN STAPLETON), is making a fortune in the illicit substances trade – the true cash cow of the modern criminal fraternity – whilst the youngest Cody brother, Darren (LUKE FORD), naively navigates his way through this criminal world – the only world his family has ever known.

And into this world arrives their nephew, Joshua 'J' Cody (JAMES FRECHEVILLE).

Following the death of his mother, J finds himself living with his hitherto estranged family, under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Smurf (JACKI WEAVER), mother to the Cody boys.

J quickly comes to believe that he is a player in this world. But, as he soon discovers, this world is far larger and more menacing than he could ever imagine.

When tensions between family and police reach a bloody peak, J finds himself at the centre of a cold-blooded revenge plot that turns the family upside down, and which also threatens to ensnare innocent bystanders such as his girlfriend, Nicky (LAURA WHEELWRIGHT).

One senior cop, Nathan Leckie (GUY PEARCE), must lure J into the police fold and then shepherd him through a complex minefield of witness protection, corrupt cops, slippery lawyers and a paranoid and vengeful underworld.

J comes to realise that in order to survive he must determine how the game is played – he must somehow choose his place in this cunning and brutal animal kingdom. He must work out where he fits.

Animal Kingdom is released in cinemas on February 25, 2011.

Images and trailer © Optimum Releasing

Animal Kingdom, the trailer and other things

Our friends over at Optimum have just released the trailer, poster and other images for the upcoming Guy Pearce film, Animal Kingdom.

Following the death of his mother, seventeen year–old Joshua 'J' Cody (James Frecheville) moves in with his hitherto–estranged family, under the watchful eye of his doting grandmother, Janine 'Smurf' Cody (Jacki Weaver), and her three criminal sons – the Cody boys. Eldest son and armed robber, Andrew 'Pope' Cody (Ben Mendelsohn) is in hiding from a gang of renegade detectives. Middle brother Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is a successful but volatile drug dealer, whilst the youngest Cody, Darren (Luke Ford), naïvely follows his elder brothers' lead. Just as 'Pope's' business partner and best friend, Barry Brown (Joel Edgerton), decides that he wants out of the game, recognising that their days of old–school banditry are all but over, tensions between the family and the police explode. 'J' finds himself at the centre of a cold–blooded revenge plot that turns his family upside down and which throws him directly into the path of senior homicide detective, Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce).

Animal Kingdom is released in cinemas on February 25, 2011.

Images and trailer © Optimum Releasing