--- title: "Animal Kingdom: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/animal-kingdom/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/animal-kingdom" critics_score: 84 critics_reviews: 6 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): what the critics said Critics' score 84 from 6 reviews: 5 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Little White Lies — Jason Wood Rating 3/5/5. 25 February 2011. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/animal-kingdom) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating B+. 13 August 2010. 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 the review](https://www.avclub.com/animal-kingdom-1798165674) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 February 2011. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/animal-kingdom-1) ## Empire — Damon Wise 14 January 2011. 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 the review](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 the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/animal-kingdom-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan 13 August 2010. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-13-la-et-animalkingdom-20100813-story.html) ## Screen Daily 31 January 2010. Festival review. 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 the review](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 the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/5960/) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager 8 August 2010. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/animal-kingdom/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 24 February 2011. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/feb/24/animal-kingdom-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt 14 October 2010. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/animal-kingdom-film-review-29226/) ## The Independent 27 February 2011. 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 the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/animal-kingdom-david-michod-113-mins-15-2226585.html) ## The New York Times — Stephen Holden 13 August 2010. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/movies/13animal.html) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy 28 January 2010. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2010/film/markets-festivals/animal-kingdom-1117942017/) ## The Playlist — Simon Dang Rating A-. 27 May 2010. Festival review. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-david-michods-animal-kingdom-is-20100527/) ## /Film — David Chen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 January 2010. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/507409/sundance-movie-reviewvideo-blog-david-michods-animal-kingdom-australian-crime-as-greek-tragedy/) ## Den of Geek — N P Rating 3/5. 25 February 2011. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/animal-kingdom-review/) ## Eye for Film — Owen Van Spall 17 February 2011. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/animal-kingdom-film-review-by-owen-van-spall) ## HeyUGuys — Jamie Neish 25 February 2011. 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/animal-kingdom-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/animal-kingdom.md