With Animals, Ben Affleck’s new Netflix thriller, the filmmaker delivers a highly entertaining but ultimately predictable story infused with an unexpected flair for melodrama. It’s not exactly camp, but the film clearly relishes placing complicated characters in a pressure-cooker, life-or-death situation that forces them to quickly abandon their carefully constructed facades.

An unfaithful wife (Kerry Washington), an unscrupulous political spin doctor (Steven Yeun), an ambitious but shallow politician (Ben Affleck), and an ice-cold capitalist (Gillian Anderson) are all forced to reveal their true natures as they attempt to prevent a kidnapping from escalating into a violent scandal.

Setting aside the fact that the screenplay borrows its central plot twist from Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, one of the film’s biggest surprises is how its well-executed action sequences are overshadowed by a theatrical second act. As the characters attempt to negotiate with the kidnapper, their contradictions, secrets, and lies collide, creating some of the film’s most compelling moments.

The result is Affleck’s most interesting character and performance since leaving the Batsuit behind.

His Mark Kimball is trapped by the image of a nice guy who genuinely wants to contribute to society, a carefully maintained illusion that has become the foundation of his campaign for mayor of Los Angeles. When his son is kidnapped, that facade quickly crumbles, and Affleck clearly delights in exposing just how small, petty, and shallow this privileged politician really is.

Steven Yeun, meanwhile, gets to explore the opposite dynamic. His character presents himself as someone without a moral compass while secretly being willing to do whatever is necessary for his family.

Unfortunately, the female characters aren't afforded the same level of nuance, although both Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson make the most of their roles, embracing their characters’ darker sides.

Even more underwritten are the two Latino characters who become essential to the plot but disappointingly remain one-dimensional. Despite their considerable talent, Luis Gerardo Méndez and Adriana Paz are saddled with virtuous, decent stereotypes in a film that reserves its most complicated characterizations for flawed and morally compromised individuals.

Despite these shortcomings, Animals maintains an engaging rhythm and structure that make it consistently interesting and entertaining. Still, it ultimately joins Live by Night as one of the lesser entries in Affleck’s otherwise stellar filmography as a director.

Animals is now playing in select theaters and premieres globally on Netflix October 9, 2026.