Animals (2026) Review!!

Synopsis – Desperate to pay their son’s ransom, a mayoral candidate and his wife resort to extreme measures, revealing dark secrets they never intended to bring to light.

My Take – Over the years, Ben Affleck has established himself as a remarkably capable filmmaker, crafting character-driven dramas that explore crime, morality, and the complexities of human relationships. His directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone (2007), announced his talent for gritty, emotionally charged storytelling, while The Town (2010) cemented his reputation as a skillful director of tense and intelligent crime thrillers.

His greatest triumph came with Argo (2012), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. However, its follow-up, Live by Night (2016), proved a significant disappointment, with its ambitious Prohibition-era gangster saga failing to capture the same critical or commercial acclaim. Following the collapse of his planned standalone Batman film within the DCEU, Affleck returned to form with Air (2023), demonstrating his knack for transforming even a corporate business deal into a highly entertaining and crowd-pleasing drama.

Naturally, I was excited for his latest collaboration with Netflix. Following the excellent The Rip (2026), this new project promised an engrossing character study that follows multiple individuals connected to a kidnapping over the course of a single night. It seemed tailor-made for Affleck‘s strengths as a filmmaker, intertwining moral dilemmas, economic interests, personal motivations, and shifting power dynamics into a tense, human drama.

Unfortunately, while the film possesses the foundations of a compelling moral thriller, his usual directorial strengths feel surprisingly absent. For a filmmaker capable of far better work, the result is a frustrating step backwards.

Co-written by Affleck, Connor O. McIntyre, and Billy Ray, the story bears a striking resemblance to Akira Kurosawa‘s classic High and Low (1963), a premise recently revisited in filmmaker Spike Lee‘s Highest 2 Lowest (2025), starring Denzel Washington. Yet despite its intriguing setup, the screenplay never fully explores its themes of power, class, and economic privilege. A choppy narrative, underdeveloped supporting characters, and visually anonymous direction ultimately leave the film feeling far less engaging than its premise suggests.

Sure, the film is far from a disaster. It is competently assembled, boasts a solid cast, and contains many of the ingredients necessary for a gripping thriller. Yet for all its manufactured urgency, it struggles to generate genuine tension or emotional investment. As the central mystery unfolds with a degree of predictability that undermines its impact, while its explorations of marital strain, political compromise, and social privilege remain frustratingly superficial. Rather than allowing these ideas to develop organically, the film drops viewers into the middle of conflicts and assumes a depth that it never fully earns.

The story follows Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck), a lifelong Los Angeles resident campaigning to become the city’s next mayor. Slick, charismatic, and impeccably polished, Mark is the kind of politician who always seems to know exactly what to say. His résumé is equally impressive, boasting stints as a teacher, soldier, lawyer, and district attorney. On paper, he appears to be the ideal candidate.

There’s just one problem: with Election Day approaching, he’s trailing by three points in the polls. Making matters worse, Mark’s self-funded campaign is on the verge of collapse. Unbeknownst to his wife, Abby (Kerry Washington), he has already burned through their life savings. At the urging of his campaign manager, Sam (Steven Yeun), he has secretly taken out a substantial loan and used their luxurious Brentwood home as collateral. The stakes could not be higher.

If he loses the election, he risks losing not only his political ambitions but also his marriage, his home, and the life he has spent years building. Meanwhile, Abby is harboring secrets of her own, ones that could prove equally damaging if exposed. Their carefully constructed world is shattered when they receive a chilling phone call from an anonymous kidnapper claiming to have abducted their son, Denny (Christopher Woodley).

The boy disappeared while trick-or-treating with the family’s nanny, Cecilia (Adriana Paz), and Hector (Jacob Estrada), the young son of Cecilia’s undocumented gardener boyfriend, Ramon (Luis Gerardo Méndez). The kidnapper demands $7 million in cash and threatens to kill Denny if the ransom is not paid. However, the situation takes an unexpected turn when Denny suddenly walks through the front door unharmed. The panicked group soon realizes that the kidnappers have made a mistake. Their intended target was not Denny at all, but Hector.

Here, director Affleck wastes little time raising the stakes as secrets emerge that threaten both Mark’s campaign and his marriage. The film’s strongest idea is the moral dilemma at its core: a politician who claims to represent everyone must decide how much he is willing to risk for someone else’s child. Along the way, intriguing supporting characters, including a ruthless fixer (Gillian Anderson) and Hector’s father Ramon add further complications.

Unfortunately, the screenplay never fully capitalizes on its potential. After a strong opening, the narrative begins to spin its wheels, revisiting the same conflicts while only superficially exploring themes of privilege, immigration, family, and class inequality. Several compelling ideas are raised but rarely developed. That’s what makes the film so frustrating.

The ingredients for a gripping moral thriller are all there: an ambiguous protagonist, sharp social commentary, and a genuinely thought-provoking central conflict. Yet director Affleck settles for a competent but conventional thriller that lacks the tension, depth, and directorial flair of his best work. Strong performances help elevate the narrative.

Ben Affleck is particularly effective as Mark, capturing the character’s volatility, self-interest, and occasional flashes of genuine empathy. Kerry Washington delivers a solid performance, though Abby is written as a surprisingly thin character, defined more by the script’s frustrations than any real complexity. Elsewhere, Gillian Anderson steals scenes as a gleefully ruthless fixer, bringing a welcome mix of menace and dark humor.

Steven Yeun is dependable as campaign manager Sam, although the role never develops beyond its narrative function. Luis Gerardo Méndez brings sincerity and emotional weight to Ramon, while Adriana Paz does solid work with a limited role. Matt Gerald and Ray Fisher also appear briefly, but their cameos feel notably underused. On the whole, ‘Animals‘ is a muddled thriller that reaches its predictable destination with little suspense, depth, or lasting impact.