Welcome to Melbourne, Australia. After the death of his mother J., 17 years old, moves with Smurf, his grandmother, and her sons - the Cody boys. J. is then in the middle of a war between the police and the Cody boys. He is caught between his family and a policeman who tries to help. Everything becomes a matter of trust, confrontation, domination... it’s the animal kingdom.
In a matriarchal family pattern, Smurf leads! She sticks with her sons, wherever they are, whatever they do. It is in this dark atmosphere that J. faces the violence of the world and in some ways, begins his initiation into the animal kingdom... That is the law of the jungle. "It's a crazy world" where only the strongest survive ... it is in fact the central theme of this movie. Survival at any cost. We see injured and dying animals ... and hence dangerous animals ... And what animal is more dangerous than a mother who fears for her young? Along the way, J. learns loss, betrayal and revenge. He is becoming one of them.
From the very first scene nothing is what it seems. The film is perfectly paced, the tension is palpable and violence is constantly present. Quietly but inevitably we sinks more and more into darkness. Antony Partos compositions are beautiful and gives a heavy presence during the movie. Actors are incredibles and give oustanding performances. Jacki Weaver is awesome and in my opinion totally deserved her Academy Awards nomination. Ben Mendelsohn is amazing, Joel Edgerton and Guy Pearce are great too.