Review of American Animals (2018) by Glenn G — 17 Oct 2018

BAD FELLAS - My Review of AMERICAN ANIMALS (4 Stars).

In his supremely confident narrative directorial debut, Bart Layton, whose documentary THE IMPOSTER showed off his storytelling and visual skills, has created something totally original out of what many may feel are used parts. His AMERICAN ANIMALS, which he also wrote, incorporates documentary elements into the story of a heist so seamlessly, it's as if he's invented a new genre, one shot through with a suspense and an urgency I haven't felt in quite some time.

The opening card: NOT BASED ON A TRUE STORY dissolves into A TRUE STORY, announcing itself as a film not likely to take dramatic liberties. That would be an understatement. Layton combines traditional genre elements with interviews by the real people and their loved ones. In one key scene, the real person interacts with the actor portraying him. Although highly satirical and dark (think I, TONYA if the real Tonya Harding had done the sit-down interviews), this hybrid style deepens the empathy you feel for a quartet of idiotic kids.

Evan Peters (AMERICAN HORROR STORY) and Barry Keoghan (DUNKIRK, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER) play Warren and Spencer respectively, a pair of bored Kentucky college students who stumble upon a set of extremely valuable books in their school's library. One in particular, James Audobon's Birds Of America, sits in a locked glass case in the Special Collections section and is worth upwards of $12 million. Steal the books, sell to the highest bidder, and they're drowning in umbrella drinks in the Bahamas for the rest of their lives.

Needing more people to succeed in their mission, they enlist a wealthy jock, Chas (Blake Jenner from EVERYBODY WANTS SOME and THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN) and Eric (Jared Abrahamson), a bookish nerd. Sooner than you can say OCEAN'S FOUR, they have scoped out the library, drawn up plans, purchased old man costumes and are on their way. Ann Dowd (THE HANDMAID'S TALE) plays Betty Gooch, the librarian they must contend with in order to steal the books, and if there's one thing I've learned by observing pop culture, whenever you have the great Ann Dowd in anything, you've got a formidable opponent. Just listen to the way she pronounces every syllable of every word and passes that off as normal! She's the best we have.

Layton uses a lot of Martin Scorsese's techniques in telling his story, including brilliant music choices (I can never get enough of KISS' "New York Groove") and honed-in framing of shots to economically and brilliantly keep things moving forward at all times. This movie feels like a freight train, never letting up and filled with dynamic performances by its talented cast. The real person interviews add a layer of vulnerability to what could have easily been a minor, B-movie heist story, causing you to reflect on the "why" of the whole matter. Sure, they were just dumb kids, but it was something about their lives that felt like a dead end. They craved excitement like Faye Dunaway did in BONNIE AND CLYDE or Sissy Spacek in BADLANDS. Yes, it comes across as white middle class bratty entitlement, but this gang (and their real counterparts) do a great job of making you care. The American Dream isn't just dead, this films seems to be saying, but it has woken up and can't go back to sleep.

Peters is sensational as the wildest of the bunch, their proverbial ringleader. A bit of a sociopath, he shoplifts just to get a rise out of people and he is so bored, he doesn't mind traumatizing others. The fact that he can make this pretty awful character so compelling is a testament to his skills. Keoghan is a major talent as well, finding fear in the stillness of his character, able to panic without moving a muscle. Jenner, who has pretty much stuck to his pretty boy jock persona in every role he's played, does the same here, except he has a breakout scene in a car in which he brandishes a gun and lets loose on his comrades which showed a heretofore untapped depth in this actor. It's an incredible scene and his rage and disappointment in his friends brings such heart and unusual sanity to the story. Abrahamson also has great moments as the nervous guy who wants no part of the violence coming their way. Even though you just know things aren't going to go well for these guys, you may find yourself rooting for them anyhow. Try watching the scene where they try to escape the library without hoping nobody looks up from their books.

AMERICAN ANIMALS is an astute morality tale, allowing flawed characters to have opposing points of view, all of which are right somehow. It addresses that thin line we all walk between right and wrong. It never forgets the victims while peeling back the layers of its den of thieves. It's as completely an American tale as urgent and as relevant as I, TONYA and THE FLORIDA PROJECT, yet with the added bonus of having a very unique voice at the helm, whose next films I can't wait to see. I'm a little late to the party with this film, which was released back in June and is available for streaming now, but it's one of the best films of the year.