When I first came across Animals I knew it was going to be one of those movies that would keep me wondering what was going to happen.....the whole idea of a couple trying to save their kidnapped son while struggling to raise the ransom money already sounded like something one was watching.. see one thing about movies like this is that you can never really tell how far people are willing to go when they find themselves in a desperate situation...
The movie follows a Los Angeles candidate and his wife after their son is kidnapped, now normally when something like this happens you would expect the parents to do everything to get their child back, In this case, things are a little more complicated because most of their money has already gone into the mans political campaign, so with time running out, they are forced to make some difficult decisions and that is where things get really interesting.
One thing I find interesting about this kind of storyline is how it shows us that people are not always who they appear to be, from the outside this family seems to have their lives especially with the mans political ambitions and the image they probably want people to see, but when trouble comes knocking that image begins to fall apart and we start seeing another side of them.
Honestly isn't that how life can be sometimes? People can spend years building an image for themselves, trying to look successful respectable and put together, one unexpected situation can reveal things they have been hiding for years, soometimes pressure brings out the best in people and other times it reveals a side of them nobody knew existed.
The cast is another reason the movie caught my attention, so with Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun and Gillian Anderson involved there is definitely a lot of acting talent in the mix, I would expect the tension between the characters to be one of the parts of the story especially when everyone has something to lose.
What I also find interesting is the connection between the kidnapping and the political campaign, it raises questions about priorities, reputation and the sacrifices people make to achieve their ambitionn a persons family, money and public image are all at risk at the time, which one do they protect first? that is the kind of question that makes a thriller more than a story about crime...
Overall Animals sounds like a movie for people who enjoy suspense, family drama, secrets and situations where one bad decision can lead to another. I like stories that put characters under pressure and force them to reveal who they really are because , sometimes the interesting part is not the problem itself but how people choose to handle it.
For me the biggest lesson from a story like this is that you can never completely predict what desperation will make someone do, sometimes the people we think we know best are the ones who surprise us the most..
Rating: 80/100