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Animal kingdom - James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton, David Michôd

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Movie propaganda

Animal kingdom is a powerful psychological crime drama that tells the story of a tense battle between a dangerous criminal family and the police.

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.

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Animal kingdom theatrical one sheet image

Target demographic movie keyword propaganda

Film Australia crime drama Melbourne underworld police family conflict hide-out drug dealer violence

Persons of interest

Guy Pearce .... Leckie
Ben Mendelsohn .... Andrew 'Pope' Cody
Joel Edgerton .... Barry Brown
Luke Ford .... Darren Cody
Jacki Weaver .... Janine Cody
Sullivan Stapleton .... Craig Cody
James Frecheville .... Joshua 'J' Cody
Dan Wyllie .... Ezra White
Anthony Hayes .... Detective Justin Norris
Laura Wheelwright .... Nicky Henry
Mirrah Foulkes .... Catherine Brown
Justin Rosniak .... Detective Randall Roache
Susan Prior .... Alicia Henry
Clayton Jacobson .... Gus Emery
Anna Lise Phillips .... Justine Hopper
Christina Azucena .... Dacinta Collis
Jacqueline Brennan .... Sarah Leckie
Kieran Darcy-Smith .... John Harrop
Jack Heanly .... Andy Emery
Josh Helman .... Constable Peter Simmons
Bert Labonte .... PSG Santo
Andy McPhee .... Richard Collis
Ben Ouwehand .... Scott Leckie
Dom Phelan .... PSG Tom
Tim Phillipps .... Constable Daniel Horden
James Saunders .... PSG Gary
David Michôd .... Screenwriter
David Michôd .... Director

Cinematic intelligence sources

Animal kingdom official movie sites:

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International

Animal kingdom film production notes
Animal kingdom movie trailers:

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Awards and film festivals:

Australian Film Institute (AFI) 2010: Won: Best film (Liz Watts), Best direction (David Michôd), Best original screenplay (David Michôd), Best lead actor (Ben Mendelsohn), Best lead actress (Jacki Weaver), Best supporting actor (Joel Edgerton), Readers' choice award (Liz Watts), Members' choice award (Liz Watts), Best editing (Luke Doolan), Best original music score (Antony Partos, Sam Petty); Nominated: Best lead actor (James Frecheville), Best supporting actor (Guy Pearce, Sullivan Stapleton), Best supporting actress (Laura Wheelwright), Young actor award (James Frecheville), Best cinematography (Adam Arkapaw), Best sound (Sam Petty, Rob Mackenzie, Philippe Decrausaz, Leah Katz, Brooke Trezise, Richard Pain), Best production design (Jo Ford), Best costume design (Cappi Ireland)
Golden Globes, USA (Hollywood Foreign Press Association) 2011: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress In A Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Jacki Weaver)
if Awards: Nominated: Best script (David Michôd), Best sound (Sam Petty, Rob MacKenzie, Phillippe Decrausaz), Best editing (Luke Doolan), Best director (David Michôd), Best actor (Ben Mendelsohn), Best actress (Jacki Weaver), Best feature film
Sundance Film Festival 2010: Won: Grand Jury Prize World Cinema - Dramatic (David Michôd)

Studios and distributors:

Madman Entertainment

Australian resident rewards programme

You could have won one of five DVDs of Animal kingdom by sending an email to the Director of Intelligence with your name and address in the body. Closed 30 November 2010. Won by Sharon, Steve, Tamara, Sean and Debbie.

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

If you haven't seen more episodes of Underbelly than you really wanted to, then Animal kingdom is pretty intense. It's a bit like Two hands without the romance: criminal people with no connection to the rest of society. There's a big disconnect between the hard-core crims and the average person. Somehow, the rules that ordinary people accept as worth upholding just aren't for this minority. It's understandable because people who steal get a high return for little investment. It's like a big monkey taking food from a little monkey: good news for the big monkey. Until the little monkey grows up. Or gets together with his fellow little monkeys and gangs up on the big monkey. That's when human society invented police, judges and prisons. And despite all this, there persists in society an element which feels that the shortest route to bananas is the best one. Maybe it's the thrill. Maybe it's the feeling of power. Maybe it's the sense that you're outsmarting everyone else, thumbing your nose at mediocrity. Can't answer that one: not a criminal. Just ask the Director of Intelligence; he's seen my security rating.

The cast is high level, with plenty of familiar faces for the adult roles and a nice new one for the protagonist. James Frecheville presents a youth who is out of his depth so, instead of clutching at straws, he swims with the sharks - it's the devil or the deep blue sea; small fish have little choice in a big pond - but there's blood in the water and everyone needs rescuing in Backpacker's Rip.

And then there are the cops, essentially criminals with a badge. They're taking the same shortcuts that define criminality: faking evidence, intimidating witnesses, taking justice into their own hands. Talk about "lie down with dogs, get up with fleas".

*Shudders*

So anyway, Animal kingdom is one of those nasty Australian crime movies where shit comes raining down from the sky, falling on guilty and innocent alike. It's dirty, smelly, icky and great fun if you're inside, watching through the venetian blinds.

The Australia, crime, drama movie Animal kingdom is directed by David Michôd and stars James Frecheville, Guy Pearce, Joel Edgerton.