Review of American Animals (2018) by Rebecca31 — 10 Sep 2018

American Animals is an intense docudrama that will have you on the edge of your seat. Directed by Bart Layton, American Animals is based on the real life story of Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk and Chas Allen and their plan to pull off an incredibly risky heist of the worlds most valuable books. Half drama, half documentary and well worth your time for anyone who enjoys a good heist movie.

Set in Lexington, Kentucky in 2004. Spencer (Barry Keoghan) and Warren (Evan Peters) are bored with their unremarkable lives and long to experience something more. Spencer takes a tour of his university's special collections library, home to some of the most valuable and rare books in America and describes this to Warren which sparks the unshakable idea that they could pull off the worlds easiest heist and get away with it. What starts as an idea and just talk becomes more and more real for the students. Yet it soon becomes apparent that pulling off a heist in real life isn't quite like the movies. A solid main cast that all have great chemistry together, particularly from Peters and Keoghan. I'll watch Evan Peters in almost anything and his performance in American Animals is wonderful. It's a chaotic and a nail biting crime movie made all the more intense by the interviews and how all four recount the events in their own way. A dramatic re-enactment with real interviews throughout the entire film really has you invested in the story and if like me you had no idea as to the details of the real heist then it makes for some exciting cinema. It's a fast paced and highly immersive story with moments of hilarity. Not all the cinemas took American Animals for some reason but don't let that stop you, it's well worth your time and it's highly recommended.