Review of American Animals (2018) by Alan W — 10 Sep 2018

Writer-director Bart Layton, who debuted with 2012's mesmerizing documentary, The Imposter, returns with a refreshing and dynamic new film about the true story of four young men's attempt to rob the Special Collections Library in Transylvania University, Kentucky in 2004.

While the actual heist itself is anything but slick, the film is definitely so, while being also funny, cool looking and full of audience-friendly charm. Smartly written and imaginatively directed, it blends fact, fiction and symbolism by intercutting staged re-enactments with interview footage of the real people involved, and the resulting mash-up of a generic heist film with real life crime documentary is one of the most interesting and intelligent film I've seen recently that appeals directly to both your hearts and minds at the same time.

The juxtaposition between the two creates insight and layers that explore the motivations behind why they did what they did; and Evan Peters (who are known more for his TV work) and Barry Keoghan (an increasingly noteworthy young Irish actor who has built a solid and fascinating filmography in the last year) anchor the film with their charismatic performances and turn unlikeable characters into someone you might even care about.

Ultimately, it is Layton's film, proving his worth as an expert storyteller, he spots yet another remarkable and poignant story and transform it on-screen into something entertaining, stylish yet oddly incisive and contemplative as well.