American Animals

R

Released Jun 1, 2018

1 hr. 56 min.

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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List

88%

213 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

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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Amy

one of the best heist films i have ever seen

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/04/23

Full Review

sibi g

Amazing movie ..because of the combination of interviews with the real people !!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/16/23

Full Review

Gortee U

Gud muvie, looks like payday for noobs playing for the first time

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/07/23

Full Review

Gareth v

One of the most underrated movies of 2018. While not big on action, it's loaded with tension and dark humour.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

Full Review

JJJJJJ J

A generally good film thats gets a bit cheese/cliche at times. I think the whole part real movie/documentary was interesting and had its benefits but at times also felt weird and clunky. The telling of the overall story had moments that were just straight weak. At the same time from a character study stand point there are some really interesting ideas going around. The basic question of why these people did it is an interesting question that makes us ask big questions about who we are as a society. A good viewing that I think many would enjoy.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/29/23

Full Review

Julien R

Excellent movie! Tense in all the right places, great directing beautiful imagery and makes you think

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/23/23

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

2:24

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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

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

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

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.

Dec 10, 2020

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A movie that takes a tattered genre and manages to add some fresh elements to it.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 2, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

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
Executive Producer: Daniel Battsek, David Kosse, Sam Lavender, Len Blavatnik, Aviv Giladi, Toby Hill, Piers Vellacott, Tory Metzger, Darren M. Demetre
Screenwriter: Bart Layton
Distributor: The Orchard
Production Co: Raw, Lava Bear Films
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

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