American Animals

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1:53

American Animals

R

2018

1h 56m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

212 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Chas Allen are four friends who live an ordinary existence in Kentucky. After a visit to Transylvania University, Lipka comes up with the idea to steal the rarest and most valuable books from the school's library. As one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history starts to unfold, the men question whether their attempts to inject excitement and purpose into their lives are simply misguided attempts at achieving the American dream.

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Critics Consensus

American Animals tangles with a number of weighty themes, but never at the expense of delivering a queasily compelling true crime thriller.

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Wenlei Ma

News.com.au

American Animals is a different kind of movie, a truly electrifying story with purpose and meaning but one that has also given us a new form of storytelling.

Rated: 4.5/5

Oct 5, 2018

Full Review

Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

It's a clever movie, but not too clever. It's also thoughtful and engrossing, weird as hell. And it's true - or truer than most films that claim that label.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 4, 2018

Full Review

David Stratton

The Australian

American Animals, like the young thieves whose story it tells, seeks inspiration from classic movies, but it transcends this foundation in a probing look at the arrogance and inexperience of its protagonists...

Rated: 4/5

Sep 28, 2018

Full Review

Guillermo Troncoso

Screen Realm

Despite flirting with overlength by the time the credits roll, American Animals is a deft, highly entertaining blend of heist film and documentary.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 24, 2025

Full Review

JD Duran

InSession Film

American Animals is one of the most unique experiences of 2018 so far. Perhaps its editing and tonal shifts will be too cumbersome for some audiences, but for me, there’s a lot of profound layers to Layton’s direction.

Rated: A

Aug 7, 2024

Full Review

Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

The harder the movie worked at reminding me of its "This is Based on a True Story" bonafides I kept watching it through Fargo-tinted "True Story" glasses

Jul 2, 2021

Full Review

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Yannis M

What makes the movie good is that it is also a condemnation of same, illustrating just how quickly those worries burn off in the face of the alternative, a difficult life.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/26/25

Full Review

Julie D

It's incredibly well-acted and features insightful storytelling. This is one that shouldn't be missed.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/02/25

Full Review

Amber M

What makes the movie good is that it is also a condemnation of same, illustrating just how quickly those worries burn off in the face of the alternative, a difficult life.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/03/25

Full Review

Qinq D

American Animals starts off like a fun heist movie - until reality comes crashing down in a tonal shift that has no right to work as well as it does.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/19/25

Full Review

Alana M

The harder the movie worked at reminding me of its "This is Based on a True Story" bonafides I kept watching it through Fargo-tinted "True Story" glasses

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/04/25

Full Review

Ava S

While the botched heist sequences were thoroughly entertaining, American Animals' docu-style provides only superficial insight into the rationale behind the crime and its repercussions.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/07/25

Full Review

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Bart Layton

Director

Barry Keoghan

Spencer Reinhard

Evan Peters

Warren Lipka

Jared Abrahamson

Eric Borsuk

Blake Jenner

Chas Allen II

Ann Dowd

Betty Jean Gooch

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American Animals: Trailer 2

1:53

American Animals: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Chas Allen are four friends who live an ordinary existence in Kentucky. After a visit to Transylvania University, Lipka comes up with the idea to steal the rarest and most valuable books from the school's library. As one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history starts to unfold, the men question whether their attempts to inject excitement and purpose into their lives are simply misguided attempts at achieving the American dream.

Director: Bart Layton
Producer: Derrin Schlesinger, Katherine Butler, Dimitri Doganis, Mary Jane Skalski
Screenwriter: Bart Layton
Distributor: The Orchard
Production Co: Lava Bear Films, Raw
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Brief Crude/Sexual Material|Some Drug Use)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 14, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.9M
Runtime: 1h 56m

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