---
title: "Animal Kingdom"
year: 2010
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/animal-kingdom"
fi1m_id: "animal-kingdom"
imdb_id: "tt1313092"
tmdb_id: 44629
wikidata_id: "Q1144983"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 84
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-15"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:11.534233+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Animal Kingdom (2010)

Directed by David Michôd · 1h 53m · MPA R · Crime, Drama

## Identity

Animal Kingdom

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/animal-kingdom
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** animal-kingdom
- **IMDb ID:** tt1313092
- **TMDB ID:** 44629
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1144983
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1313092/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/44629, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1144983

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 84 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* A gangster film that makes a quiet evening with the family sound like a threat

> David Michôd’s crime drama is tense, patient and well worth the discomfort. Ben Mendelsohn and Jacki Weaver make family loyalty frightening, though the second half lets the pace slacken.

## Synopsis

Joshua ‘J’ Cody (James Frecheville) is a teenage orphan drawn into the life of a Melbourne crime family. Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody (Jacki Weaver) presides over the household, with Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody (Ben Mendelsohn) among the relatives J must learn to live alongside. As he tries to find his place, he faces the competing demands of family loyalty and the law. David Michôd’s crime drama follows his introduction to their lives, where threats come from inside the family as well as outside it, and deciding whom to trust becomes a matter of survival.

## Review

David Michôd’s *Animal Kingdom* is a crime drama in which joining a family gives a teenager little reason to feel safe. We recommend it: the performances are exact, and the violence has consequences beyond the immediate shock. Michôd, who also wrote the screenplay, follows Joshua ‘J’ Cody into a Melbourne criminal household whose members are increasingly suspicious of the people around them. The familiar gangster concerns of loyalty, power and survival become ugly domestic problems here, with no reassuring separation between home life and criminal business.

James Frecheville gives J a reserve that can be frustrating, particularly beside the more forceful actors playing his relatives. There are stretches when we want a clearer sense of what he is making of them, and the performance does not always provide it. Yet his lack of charm helps prevent this introduction to criminal life from becoming inviting. The teenager’s uncertainty keeps the family strange and difficult to read, even as we spend time in their company.

Ben Mendelsohn’s Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody is the chief reason that proximity feels so dangerous. We were frightened of him in the family home, because Mendelsohn makes his instability seem inseparable from the household’s ordinary life. Pope belongs here, and that is disturbing enough without presenting him as an exceptional villain. The performance gives us little opportunity to enjoy his company at a safe distance, as gangster films so often allow us to do.

Jacki Weaver’s Janine ‘Smurf’ Cody makes the family loyalty equally alarming. As the matriarch presiding over her sons, she has an authority that might be reassuring in another sort of household; here, her ruthlessness makes it dangerous. Weaver makes Smurf credible as a mother, which prevents us from dismissing her as a monster with nothing to do with ordinary families. The ensemble’s strength is that these people seem used to one another, even when we can scarcely imagine tolerating them.

Adam Arkapaw’s cinematography keeps the domestic scenes oppressive, and Josephine Ford’s production design gives the family home a convincing ordinariness. It matters that this feels like somewhere people live, since a more extravagant criminal setting would let us keep a comfortable distance. The claustrophobia comes from having to share that space with people whose motives cannot be trusted. Arkapaw’s brooding treatment suits these scenes, keeping our attention on the discomfort of being indoors with the family.

Luke Doolan’s editing keeps the first half taut, giving the sudden violence a force that busier cutting might have diminished. Later, the pace slackens, and some of the brooding starts to feel like waiting for familiar crime-story business to resume. Antony Partos’s score deepens the unease, though there are moments when the music adds pressure to scenes that already have enough. These are matters of emphasis rather than fatal mistakes, but they make the second half less involving than the first.

Crime films can become too fond of their gangsters, and Michôd’s attention to family obligations helps him avoid that trap. He takes those ties seriously enough that the threat from within the household can sustain a film with relatively little action. The slower passages need patience, but they do not cancel the force of the performances. See it for Weaver and Mendelsohn, and expect the scenes at home to be among the hardest to bear.

*Fi1m score 84, published 15 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics welcome Animal Kingdom as an assured crime drama, with praise centred on David Michôd’s direction and the ensemble. Jacki Weaver’s chilling matriarch and Ben Mendelsohn’s unstable Pope attract particular attention. The reviews repeatedly single out the oppressive family relationships, naturalistic detail and brooding atmosphere: the threat within the home matters as much as the criminal activity outside it. Many find that this domestic focus gives a familiar genre fresh tension.

The disagreement concerns how far that assurance carries the story. The AV Club admires the plotting and supporting performances but finds the teenage lead lacking in charisma. Den of Geek praises the first half, then finds the second sluggish and increasingly clichéd. Slant Magazine is a sharper dissenter, rejecting the film’s seriousness as pretentious and its appeal for empathy as unearned. Enthusiasm predominates, but the dissent extends beyond pacing to the film’s treatment of its characters.

## Straight answers

**Is Animal Kingdom worth watching?**

*Animal Kingdom* is worth watching for anyone who likes crime dramas that value dread over gunfire, and we scored it 84. Ben Mendelsohn and Jacki Weaver make a Melbourne crime family frightening from inside the house. The second half slackens and James Frecheville's reserved lead can frustrate, but the performances carry it.

**How long is Animal Kingdom, and what is it rated?**

*Animal Kingdom* runs 1h 53m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a crime and drama film.

**Where can I watch Animal Kingdom in the US?**

*Animal Kingdom* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video and Tubi in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. It leaves Tubi on 1 October. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Animal Kingdom, and is it suitable for children?**

*Animal Kingdom* is a 15 certificate in the UK and is not suitable for children. Its violence is sudden and has consequences, but the greater unease comes from sharing a home with people whose motives cannot be trusted. Older teenagers who can sit with sustained tension should be fine; the squeamish will find the domestic scenes the hardest.

**How does Animal Kingdom compare to Gomorrah?**

*Animal Kingdom* is the tighter and more intimate of the two, while [*Gomorrah*](https://film.one/film/gomorrah) is the angrier and broader. Both refuse gangster glamour and make belonging a source of danger rather than safety. Choose Michôd's film for a single family watched at close range, and Garrone's for a crowded, harder-to-follow picture of organised crime that rewards the effort.

**What should I watch after Animal Kingdom?**

After *Animal Kingdom*, try [*Gomorrah*](https://film.one/film/gomorrah) (2008, Fi1m 84): Another crime drama where belonging offers little protection from the people nearby. Then [*A Prophet*](https://film.one/film/a-prophet) (2009, Fi1m 86): A young outsider learns criminal rules, with survival demanding close attention.

### Reviews we read (19)

- **Little White Lies**, Jason Wood (3/5/5): Michôd’s assured debut stakes a claim as a modern classic with its authentic, naturalistic account of Melbourne’s criminal landscape. The ensemble cast, especially Jacki Weaver as the chilling matriarch, delivers first-rate performances. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/animal-kingdom)
- **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (B+): Sort of like an Australian Goodfellas with less sweep and more grubbiness, the film tracks a teenage orphan’s introduction to a life of low-level crime. It is stylish and sharply plotted, with strong performances from Weaver and Mendelsohn offsetting a charisma-free hero. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/animal-kingdom-1798165674)
- **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (80/100, inferred): This cocky, eye-grabbing debut brings a Scorsese-like energy to the story of a Melbourne crime family. Michôd makes a well-worn genre feel fresh and thoughtful with its distinctive sense of the grotesque and stylish dread. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/animal-kingdom-1)
- **Empire**, Damon Wise: Michôd’s film is praised as a sombre, slick revival of the gangster genre that focuses on emotional violence and family dynamics rather than action or comedy. The critic highlights excellent performances, particularly Jacki Weaver as the ruthless matriarch Smurf, and calls it a rarity that makes one wish for more such films. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/animal-kingdom-review/)
- **Film Comment**: The critic praises David Michôd’s assured and intelligent debut as a gripping criminal-family tale that stands out from standard crime dramas. Standout elements include the electrifying performances, particularly Ben Mendelsohn as the unstable Pope. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/animal-kingdom-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan: The critic describes the film as a moody, brooding modern film noir and impressive debut that is both laconic and operatic. It singles out the careful craftsmanship, including cinematography, lighting, sound design and score, for creating a malignant atmosphere of menace. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-13-la-et-animalkingdom-20100813-story.html)
- **Screen Daily**: Michôd makes an exciting and assured feature debut with this wrenching Melbourne-set gangster saga about a teenager coming of age in a crime family. The lean script and flawless ensemble cast, especially Jacki Weaver, stand out. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/animal-kingdom/5009954.article)
- **Sight and Sound**, Wally Hammond: Michôd’s debut is an ambitious and effective thriller exploring Australia’s criminal underbelly through the decline of an old-fashioned crime family. The best scenes capture the claustrophobic family home and the characters’ paranoia with gritty realism. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/5960/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager: The film wrongly assumes certain characters deserve empathy simply because they’re protagonists. It is a conventional Melbourne crime film awash in unwarranted pretentiousness, with derivative posturing and no surprises beyond one early death. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/animal-kingdom/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The film is a tense, violent and supremely watchable study of a dysfunctional crime family on the verge of imploding. It singles out Ben Mendelsohn's chilling performance as the sociopathic Pope Cody for particular praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/feb/24/animal-kingdom-review)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Kirk Honeycutt: The film is a brooding, intimate, clear-eyed look at the precipitous downfall of a family in the Melbourne underworld. It offers a naturalistic drama rich in psychology and attention to details, marking an auspicious directing debut. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/animal-kingdom-film-review-29226/)
- **The Independent**: The critic finds the film a low-key but tense portrait of a Melbourne crime family where the real horror lies in what relatives will do to each other. Strong performances, especially from newcomers and Ben Mendelsohn as the menacing Pope, drive the story of a teenager caught between kin and the law. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/animal-kingdom-david-michod-113-mins-15-2226585.html)
- **The New York Times**, Stephen Holden: The critic calls the film a mostly terrific Australian gangster story about a ruthless matriarch ruling over her sociopathic sons in suburban Melbourne. It highlights the intense, jungle-like family dynamics and sudden violence as the standout elements. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/movies/13animal.html)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy: The critic praises the ambitious and powerful study of an Australian crime family's disintegration, orchestrated with operatic and Greek dimensions in an unusually accomplished debut. It highlights the confident direction, strong performances especially by Weaver and Mendelsohn, and the brooding style that builds dread. [Read](https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/animal-kingdom-1117942017/)
- **The Playlist**, Simon Dang (A-): It is a gripping, atmospheric, haunting slow-burn tale of loyalty and revenge with standout performances from Ben Mendelsohn and Jacki Weaver, strong direction, and a Greek tragedy feel in an Australian crime drama setting. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-david-michods-animal-kingdom-is-20100527/)
- **/Film**, David Chen (85/100, inferred): Animal Kingdom is a slow but worthwhile burn with brooding atmosphere, naturalistic dialogue, and brilliant use of soundtrack; it recalls Greek tragedy in its themes of revenge and is riveting, thrilling, and heartbreaking. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/507409/sundance-movie-reviewvideo-blog-david-michods-animal-kingdom-australian-crime-as-greek-tragedy/)
- **Den of Geek**, N P (3/5): The first half is powerful, gripping and well-handled with excellent performances across the board, but the second half slows, becomes sluggish and descends into clichés. It remains a solid and engaging crime story overall despite feeling disjointed. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/animal-kingdom-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Owen Van Spall: Michôd creates a deeply pessimistic but fascinating world with excellent performances from the cast, particularly the Cody family dynamics, strong atmosphere, cinematography, and score; the only way to survive is by the law of the jungle. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/animal-kingdom-film-review-by-owen-van-spall)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jamie Neish: The critic praises the film's extraordinary acting, directing, and ensemble performances, especially Jacki Weaver as the matriarch Smurf, calling it a compelling and beautifully executed crime drama. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/animal-kingdom-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** David Michôd
- **Director:** David Michôd
- **Screenplay:** David Michôd
- **Cinematography:** Adam Arkapaw
- **Editor:** Luke Doolan
- **Music:** Antony Partos
- **Production design:** Josephine Ford
- **Costume design:** Cappi Ireland
- **Producer:** Liz Watts
- **Cast:** Ben Mendelsohn as Andrew 'Pope' Cody; Joel Edgerton as Barry 'Baz' Brown; Guy Pearce as Nathan Leckie; Luke Ford as Darren Cody; Jacki Weaver as Janine 'Smurf' Cody; Sullivan Stapleton as Craig Cody; James Frecheville as Joshua 'J' Cody; Daniel Wyllie as Ezra White
- **Runtime:** 1h 53m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 13 August 2010
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama
- **Budget:** $5 million
- **Box office:** $1 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNszOl14AWg

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming
- Tubi: free, hd, leaving 2026-10-01
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd
- Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy $12.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-15.*

Also available in: AR, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, FR, GB, IE, MX, NL, NZ, PA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2011: Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- BIFA for Best Foreign Independent Film 2011: BIFA for Best Foreign Independent Film (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role 2010: AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2010: AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role 2010: AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2010: AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Cinematography 2010: AACTA Award for Best Cinematography (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Costume Design 2010: AACTA Award for Best Costume Design (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Direction 2010: AACTA Award for Best Direction (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Editing 2010: AACTA Award for Best Editing (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Film 2010: AACTA Award for Best Film (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score 2010: AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay 2010: AACTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Production Design 2010: AACTA Award for Best Production Design (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Sound 2010: AACTA Award for Best Sound (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Young Actor 2010: AACTA Award for Best Young Actor (nominated)
- AFI Members' Choice Award 2010: AFI Members' Choice Award (won)
- Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress 2010: Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- Golden Globes 2010: Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (nominated)
- National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress 2010: National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress (won)
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress 2010: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Director 2010: Satellite Award for Best Director (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Film 2010: Satellite Award for Best Film (nominated)
- Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture 2010: Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (won)
- Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize 2010: Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Friends of Eddie Coyle* (1973): The anxious routines of small-time crime, with every conversation carrying a risk.
- *Gomorrah* (2008), Fi1m 84: Another crime drama where belonging offers little protection from the people nearby. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/gomorrah.md)
- *A Prophet* (2009), Fi1m 86: A young outsider learns criminal rules, with survival demanding close attention. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-prophet.md)
- *The Clan* (2015): Family affection and criminal brutality share a home with appalling ease.
- *Pusher* (1996): Criminal loyalty comes under pressure as one man’s options steadily narrow.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/animal-kingdom