TF:
Australian writer/director David Michôd’s follow-up to his brilliant 2010 breakthrough, Animal Kingdom, is a film of awful aftermaths. Set in a ravaged but still-recognisable “Australia 10 years after the collapse” – an event barely spoken of, let alone explained – it concerns men who have reached the end of their rope: road warriors with no history, or hope.
Cut from the same cloth, Pearce and Pattinson are off-centre leading men who make interesting choices – and much better thesps than their looks might initially suggest. Equally, McNairy, who was deemed too old for Pattinson’s part, is one of the smartest character actors around (see Argo, Killing Them Softly, 12 Years A Slave... even Non-Stop). They’re all excellent here. An innocent, despite all the bloodshed, Pattinson’s Rey evokes memories of Toby Kebbell’s breakout turn as the mentally impaired Anthony in Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes. Eric, meanwhile, is a grimacing ghost given a furious emptiness by Pearce. “I was a farmer, now I’m here,” he tells Rey, his backstory burning in his eyes, even if it never comes into focus before the divisive final scene.
Futility has rarely been so expertly portrayed, but even at a relatively trim 103 minutes, it’s wearing to have to fill in the gaps yourself.
Immersive but meandering, Michôd’s latest features great performances and gorgeous film craft, but its pleasures are elusive, and if you can’t find them in the scenery or the score, you might not find them at all.
With the new The Crow remake coming soon, we take a look back at the 30-year-old cult classic original–and where the stars are now.
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