A kidnapping turns a powerful Los Angeles couple’s world upside down in Animals, a tense new crime thriller directed by and starring Ben Affleck. The film arrives in select theaters and on Netflix October 9.
Netflix is bringing audiences a new high-stakes crime thriller with Animals, a dark and dramatic story about family, desperation and the devastating choices people can make when someone they love is taken from them.
Directed by Ben Affleck, who also leads the impressive ensemble cast, Animals follows an ambitious Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife after their son is kidnapped. With a ransom demanded and time running out, the couple must find a way to get their child home while protecting the carefully constructed lives they have spent years building.
Animals
- Director: Ben Affleck
- Starring: Ben Affleck, Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, Ray Fisher, Adriana Paz, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Matt Gerald
- Genre: Crime, Thriller
Plot
The film centers on Milo Bradford (Ben Affleck), a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose political ambitions and public image are suddenly thrown into chaos when his son is kidnapped.
Milo and his wife are faced with an impossible situation: they must somehow raise the ransom while avoiding decisions that could permanently damage their family and careers.
As the pressure intensifies, the couple begins confronting increasingly difficult choices. What starts as a desperate attempt to save their child could ultimately expose secrets, strain their marriage and destroy the carefully controlled world surrounding them.
The kidnapping forces them to ask how far they are willing to go—and what they are prepared to sacrifice—to bring their son home.
A Crime Thriller About Family and Desperation
At its core, Animals appears to combine a conventional kidnapping thriller with a more personal examination of marriage, power and desperation.
The political background adds another layer to the story. Milo isn’t simply a father trying to save his child; he’s a public figure whose every decision could have consequences far beyond his immediate family.
That creates a potentially explosive conflict between doing whatever is necessary to save his son and protecting the public life he has worked to build.
Ben Affleck Directs and Stars
Ben Affleck takes on dual responsibilities as the film’s director and star, portraying Milo Bradford.
Affleck has built an extensive career working across crime dramas and thrillers, both in front of and behind the camera. His previous directing work includes Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo and Air, making Animals another opportunity for him to explore the darker side of human behavior.
The screenplay is credited to Billy Ray and Connor O. McIntyre, with Affleck also credited as a director.
Cast
Animals features a strong ensemble cast alongside Affleck:
- Ben Affleck as Milo Bradford
- Kerry Washington
- Steven Yeun
- Gillian Anderson
- Adriana Paz
- Luis Gerardo Méndez
The combination of Affleck, Washington, Yeun and Anderson gives the film a particularly impressive dramatic lineup, with each bringing substantial experience in crime, political and psychological dramas.
The Stakes Keep Getting Higher
The kidnapping premise provides Animals with an immediate ticking clock, but the story appears to be just as interested in what happens to the family psychologically.
Milo and his wife must navigate a world where trust becomes increasingly difficult and every decision carries a price. Their attempt to raise the ransom could force them into situations they never imagined entering.
For a political candidate, maintaining control is essential. But when his own family becomes the target, control may be the first thing to disappear.
Genre
Animals is classified as a Crime and Thriller, placing the film firmly in the territory of tense kidnapping dramas and character-driven crime stories.
The combination of a missing child, political ambition, family pressure and an escalating ransom situation sets the stage for a thriller where the emotional stakes are just as important as the criminal mystery.
Release Date
Animals will be released in select theatres and on Netflix October 9.
Animals at a Glance
Title: Animals
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Director: Ben Affleck
Writers: Billy Ray, Connor O. McIntyre
Starring: Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, Gillian Anderson, Adriana Paz, Luis Gerardo Méndez
Release Date: October 9
Release: Select theatres and Netflix
Final Thoughts
Animals looks to be a tense addition to Netflix’s growing lineup of crime thrillers, with Ben Affleck both behind and in front of the camera.
The kidnapping of a child is only the starting point. As Milo and his wife struggle to raise the ransom, their personal lives, political ambitions and relationship are placed under extraordinary pressure.
For fans of crime thrillers, kidnapping movies and dark family dramas, Animals could offer a compelling combination of suspense and emotional drama when it arrives in theaters and on Netflix this October.
