Critics split on Ben Affleck's Netflix kidnapping thriller Animals
Ben Affleck directs and stars in Animals, a kidnapping thriller that comes to Netflix and some theaters Friday. He plays a man running for mayor of Los Angeles whose son is taken for a $7 million ransom. IGN calls it fun, The Guardian calls it dull, and many critics say it borrows from Kurosawa's High and Low.
Ben Affleck's new thriller, Animals, starts streaming on Netflix on Friday and is also playing in select theaters. Affleck directed the film, co-wrote it and stars in it. It is his sixth feature as a director, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
Affleck plays Mark Kimball, a wealthy independent candidate for mayor of Los Angeles. He has poured his family's money into a close race without telling his wife, Abby, played by Kerry Washington. Then, just days before the election, a caller says he has kidnapped their son and demands a $7 million ransom, IGN reported. The money is tied up in the campaign.
Mark's campaign manager, played by Steven Yeun, suggests bringing in a cold, expensive fixer played by Gillian Anderson. The story unfolds over Halloween, with a key campaign event that same night.
Critics were divided. IGN called it "an entertaining new thriller" with a neat twist that asks big moral questions. The Guardian took the opposite view, calling it a "dull Netflix thriller" that is "lacking in bark and bite." Its critic said much of the film takes place in "a series of dull rich-folks rooms" and that the characters "talk in irritated circles."
The Hollywood Reporter landed in between. It called the film "passably entertaining" but said its juicy elements "should be a lot tastier."
Many reviews raised the same issue. The plot closely follows Akira Kurosawa's 1963 film High and Low, in which kidnappers take the wrong child. Spike Lee remade that story just last year as Highest 2 Lowest. The Hollywood Reporter called it "baffling" that the film makes no mention of its source. Deadline said the press notes do not mention either film, though "the bones of High and Low" are clearly there.
The Guardian allowed that the film was likely written, and maybe shot, before Affleck could have seen Lee's version. The screenplay is by Affleck, Billy Ray and Connor O. McIntyre.
What we know: Animals is streaming on Netflix and playing in some theaters as of Friday.
What we don't: How Netflix viewers will respond, since the service has not released viewing numbers.
Where outlets agree Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and The Guardian all say the film's plot closely tracks Kurosawa's High and Low and Spike Lee's remake, Highest 2 Lowest.
Where they differ IGN calls Animals an entertaining thriller with a neat twist, while The Guardian calls it a dull thriller lacking in bark and bite.