Daniel Wyllie Movies

A youngster is given an inside look at a criminal empire that also happens to be his family in this independent drama. Teenage Joshua Cody (James Frecheville) is suddenly on his own after his mother's drug habit catches up with her, and he's taken in by his grandmother Smurf (Jacki Weaver), usually regarded as the black sheep of the family. Joshua quickly learns Smurf's reputation is well deserved; she and her four sons are members of a mid-level crime syndicate that operates out of her home in Melbourne. Baz (Joel Edgerton) looks after the money and is urging Smurf to move into something legit, Pope (Ben Mendelsohn) is a criminal jack-of-all-trades who never lets go of a grudge, Darren (Luke Ford) is an enforcer with an unfortunate weak streak, and Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is a drug dealer who has become addicted to his own product. When Baz is murdered, the family's voice of reason is gone, and the unstable Pope takes the lead in the family's hierarchy; as suspicions fall on Joshua, the quiet newcomer is moved out of the house to keep him safe. Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce) is a police detective who has found out who Joshua is and what he knows, and he tries to convince the teenager to help him put the Cody family behind bars, though Joshua isn't certain about his loyalties to these outlaws who are also his blood. The first feature film from director David Michod, Animal Kingdom was an official selection at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the World Cinema Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Paul Middleditch's third feature finds the humanistic filmmaker experimenting with a unique approach while attempting to explore means of overcoming grief and reforging lost human connections. Improvised by the actors, shot on video, and later transcribed into a screenplay and shot on film, A Cold Summer finds three damaged souls in need of companionship. Bobby (Teo Gebert) is a charismatic advertising executive with a drinking problem who lives in his BMW. When jazz singer and compulsive liar Tia (Olivia Pigeot) has her bag stolen, the two meet by chance and forge a tentative connection. Tia later runs into old friend Phaedra (Susan Prior) a "semi-artistic" florist who also dabbles in poetry and songwriting and is still recovering from her boyfriend's drug related death four years earlier. As each character attempts to deal with their own hardships, their relationships with one another prove to be key components in helping them to pick up the pieces and find a new approach to facing life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

This Australian drama is based on the life and times of Mark "Chopper" Read, a notorious Aussie criminal who went on to become a best-selling author, publishing nine books about his exploits outside the law. In 1978, Chopper (played by Eric Bana) is serving a 16-year sentence for abducting a judge who was overseeing the trial of his best friend Jimmy (Simon Lyndon). Jimmy and Chopper end up sharing a cell, along with Keithy George (David Field), a crime boss; when a disagreement between Keithy and Chopper escalates into violence, Chopper kills Keithy, leading to retribution from the gangster's mates, who hire Jimmy to do their dirty work. To escape, Chopper forces a friend to cut off one of his ears so he'll be transferred to another prison. Eight years later, Chopper is out of prison and looking for Jimmy in hopes of getting revenge; in the meantime, he's looking to get even with another of his enemies, Neville (Vince Colosimo), and trying to keep his eye on his girlfriend, Tanya (Kate Beahan), who supports herself as a call girl. While the real "Chopper" Read was not directly involved in the production, comic Eric Bana was cast in the lead at Read's suggestion. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A honest police detective begins to crack under the strain of the cynicism and lawlessness surrounding her in the Australian crime drama Redball. The film opens with a sequence that's an apt metaphor for what follows -- two cops on the beat in Melbourne discover a body floating in the Yarra river and call in detectives to handle the matter. The plainclothes cops, however, prefer not to be bothered, and figure if they wait long enough, the body will float into another precinct's jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Jane Wilson (Belinda McClory), known to her friends as "JJ," is assigned with her partner Robbie Walsh (John Brumpton) to investigate a string of especially grisly child killings committed by an unknown lunatic the police have nicknamed Mr. Creep. While JJ has always been an idealist who tries to play fair and by the book, she's grown disgusted with the corruption and abuse of power that goes on around her, ranging from simple laziness in procedural matters to brutal violence and rape committed by her fellow officers. When evidence begins to suggest Mr. Creep may be a member of the police department, some of JJ's colleagues fear she's become worn to an emotional frazzle and may just break, bringing down not only herself but every member of the force who's not on the straight and narrow in the process. A violent and downbeat drama, Redball was shot on digital video and transferred to film for theatrical release, with its low-budget look enhancing the emotional grit of the story. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This controversial drama (which earned an NC-17 rating in the U.S.) was a major box-office success in its native Australia, and it made an overnight star of its leading man, Russell Crowe. Hando (Crowe) is a member of a gang of racist skinheads who lash out with violence against the growing number of Asian immigrants settling in the country. While Hando and his partner Davey (Daniel Pollock) lead a bunch of brutal, half-bright thugs, they have convinced themselves that what they do is the noble work of saving Australia for Australians (or at least the white Australians who drove the aborigines into the outback). Into this milieu comes Gabe (Jacqueline McKenzie), a troubled young woman who suffers from epilepsy and was raised in a sexually abusive environment. Gabe becomes something of a gang moll, dividing her time (and her sexual favors) between Hando and Davey, generating considerable tension between them. When the gang's favorite bar is purchased by a group of Vietnamese immigrants, Hando and Davey organize an all-out attack, little imagining that the Asians are ready and able to defend themselves. Romper Stomper was released in America in both its original, uncut form, and in an edited version that earned an R rating from the MPAA. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi