“Animal Kingdom”
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
“Animal Kingdom” is a slow-motion train wreck, in a good way. This strong, assured Australian crime tragedy takes the time to dig into characters who would race past us like blurs in a stock thriller, endowing them with a rare depth and emotional truth. Seventeen-year-old Joshua Cody, orphaned by his mum’s heroin overdose, enters the toxic embrace of his estranged grandmother, the Machiavellian matriarch of a family of paranoid, explosive outlaws. The Codys fear that one of their own may cut a deal with the cops. With textured layers of performance, “Animal Kingdom” sinks into your consciousness. It’s a chilling walk to the dark end of the street. R. 1 hour, 52 minutes. Colin Covert, Star Tribune.
“Jack Goes Boating”
*** (out of 4)
Sometimes an unexpected love story unfolds on the way to a movie’s central romance. This bittersweet indie romantic drama — directed by and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in the title role — is that kind of film. Jack is a bit of a lost soul; his best friend and fellow limo driver, Clyde, and his wife, Lucy, would like to find him an emotional anchor. Connie (Amy Ryan) is the fix-up target, but the tale’s real anchor is Clyde (John Ortiz) and Jack’s friendship. The movie’s heart and story, both bleeding and mending, and its quartet of characters are hard to abandon and easy to care about. R. 1 hour, 29 minutes. Lisa Kennedy
“Takers”
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
A crackling crime drama assembled from a scrap heap of hoary cliches, “Takers” proves that everything old can sometimes really be new again. Everything has been borrowed from other pictures, from the suave, slick thieves (Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Hayden Christensen, Michael Ealy and Chris Brown) who dress like GQ models and execute perfect crimes to the pair of dogged Los Angeles detectives hell- bent on nabbing them (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez.) But the familiarity of the material is overcome by stylish, unobtrusive direction by John Luessenhop. The plot manages a couple of curveballs, most notably the ending, which you won’t guess. R. 1 hour, 7 minutes. Rene Rodriguez, McClatchy Newspapers
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