When you think of classic kidnapping films, movie lovers often think of titles like Taken or Ransom. Now, the Netflix film Animals aims to join that list with a star-studded cast that includes former Walking Dead star Steven Yeun.
But is Animals actually a good, thrilling movie? Here is if you should check it out this weekend — and see Steven Yeun in another entertaining role.
Animals is what happens when your dirty past comes to light
Mark and Abigail Kimball (Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington, respectively) are a seemingly normal, affluent couple living in Los Angeles, with successful careers: Mark is an attorney, and Abigail works in psychology. However, Mark wants to run for mayor of Los Angeles as an independent and has spent most of his money on his campaign, if not all of it.
His campaign manager, Sam (Steven Yeun), says he needs to win this election to recoup what he's spent. A big issue is that Abigail doesn't know how much money he's spent, so if he loses, this marriage is over.
On the night of Halloween, a couple of days before the election, they suddenly get a call from someone saying that their son has been kidnapped and that, to get him back, they must fork over $7 million dollars in cash that night. To do so, they have to trust Sam’s contact, a mysterious woman (Gillian Anderson) who can get them the money—but not without several strings attached and all their past misdeeds coming back to haunt them.
Steven Yeun shines with Affleck and Washington, but only for the first half
The movie's core three cast members are Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, and Steven Yeun. Yeun’s character Sam has a collected demeanor as a campaign manager, which works well against Affleck's anger over his son being captured and Washington’s frantic behavior.
But the bigger moments that I’d highlight are the scenes where Yeun and Gillian Anderson act alongside each other. They are few and far between, but they clearly hint at a past that could have been more interesting; yet the movie doesn't really explore that as much as it should.
Affleck is always fun in movies that revolve around crime, so I didn't really have to worry about his performance. Plus, he and Washington have believable enough chemistry that I could easily see them as a husband and wife concerned for their son.
However, as the film progresses and we dig deeper into the ransom storyline, things slowly shift into a plot that seasoned genre fans would probably find typical.
Animals is enjoyable, but don’t expect greatness
The biggest thing to expect with Animals is that this isn’t a revolutionary kidnapping film. Affleck’s character, Mark, isn’t some secret fighter who knows how to wield a gun and is going to go on a rampage to find the child who was kidnapped. He is a man trying to find the best route possible while avoiding violence because, at the end of the day, he’s a mayoral candidate.
And that really is what limits the film. Because Mark is a man in high places and is facing the threat of losing this election, he can’t really invoke that feral nature that many other kidnapping movies tend to lean into when a child is taken. He must rely on others' skills and trust what his wife and close allies say. He can’t really take matters into his own hands.
Many fans enjoy movies like this for the action and the idea that they would do anything to get that person back. We get a hint of that mentality from Mark, but it never fully develops. It's a twisted, subdued presentation that shows up at the end because of what he is trying to do in L.A. The thrilling moment, as enjoyable as it is, feels less impactful because deep down we know that it isn’t as intense as it could have been if Mark isn’t running for mayor.
One benefit of Animals is that it shows how America can come together in certain ways, regardless of the class-based borders that separate us. It's a strong theme. But it also shows that even those intentions can be twisted to tell a good story while hiding dirty work.
Aside from that, Animals has pretty vanilla tropes you would expect in a kidnapping movie, from gunmen to ransom money to a twist at the end that… doesn’t really change much.
That said, it’s not necessarily a bad film. It’s still fun to watch especially if you’re a Steven Yeun fan and want to see him in a “sketchy past” campaign manager role that he’s never really done before. And it’s always delightful to watch an action movie without thinking it’ll become another big franchise.
Fans of this genre will find something to love. But as for rewatchability, it ranks low.
Animals is now streaming on Netflix.
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