In a summer overrun with blockbusters, here’s a limited release film you might not have heard of, Animal Kingdom. The film is the story of a young man named J (James Frencheville) who goes to live with his older cousins after his mother passes away. But this is no family drama; J’s cousins are members of the Cody clan, a notorious family of the Melbourne crime scene. Unfortunately for J, he moves in right as that dynasty begins to crumble.
This domestic poster isn’t bad but it’s certainly not as stimulating as the Australian one. That one (viewable here), shows the entire gang, J, his cousins, their mother Smurf (Jacki Weaver), and even the detective (Guy Pearce) hot on their trail. This one sticks with just four characters, Smurf, J, Pope (Ben Mendelsohn) and Baz (Joel Edgerton). Not only do the characters feel as though they were just thrown into the image at random, but why is Edgerton there at all? His character does have an impact on the story, but not nearly to the extent of the other three present.
Regardless of this so-so poster, Animal Kingdom is still an impressively dark and powerful film worth catching when it hits theaters on August 13th.
By Perri Nemiroff (via IMP Awards)
