‘Animals’ review: Ben Affleck’s crime thriller falls flat despite high stakes

In Animals, the biggest crime that Ben Affleck makes is not that he did not acknowledge a debt of inspiration to Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low (1963), or that he used AI in post production, but that he made such a flaccid crime thriller, notes our review. We definitely expect more from the man who gave us Argo and The Town.

Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck) is rich, successful and has a beautiful home and family. He is running as an independent candidate in the Los Angeles mayoral elections. On the advice of his campaign manager, Sam (Steven Yeun), Mark puts all the family’s savings into the campaign.

The new film, which is now streaming, has sparked debate over its themes and execution, with critics questioning whether it lives up to Affleck’s previous directorial outings.