Animals

Ben Affleck knows how to make a crime movie. Gone Baby Gone, his first film as a director, was a tense, morally messy kidnapping story set in Boston. The Town was a heist thriller that still holds up. Argo won Best Picture. So when Netflix announced that Affleck would direct and star in a new kidnapping thriller called Animals, with Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun in the cast, expectations were high. The film arrived on Netflix on October 9, 2026, after a short run in select theaters, and quickly climbed to the top of the platform's movie chart worldwide.

But the reviews tell a very different story. Critics have been tough on it, and it's on track to be one of the lowest-rated films of Affleck's directing career. Here's what it's about, who's in it and whether it's worth 106 minutes of your night.

What it's about

Affleck plays a Los Angeles mayoral candidate in the middle of a tight campaign. Then his son, played by Christopher Woodley, is kidnapped. The kidnappers want a ransom, and the clock is ticking.

The problem is money. Most of the family's cash has gone into the campaign, so the candidate and his wife, played by Kerry Washington, have only a few hours to find it. To get there, they have to make some extreme choices, and those choices start to expose parts of their lives they never wanted anyone to see.

Netflix's logline puts it this way: "When their son is kidnapped, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife find themselves drawn into a web of deception."

That setup mixes two kinds of movie. It's a race-against-time kidnapping thriller, and it's also a political drama about what a public figure is willing to hide, and what he's willing to risk, to protect his image.

The people behind it

Animals is the latest film from Artists Equity, the production company Affleck runs with Matt Damon. Affleck directed it and co-wrote the script with Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray, the writer behind Captain Phillips.

The crew is impressive. Robert Elswit, who shot There Will Be Blood, handled the cinematography, and Harry Gregson-Williams wrote the score.

The movie went through some changes before cameras rolled. When it was first announced in January 2024, Damon was set to co-star. He left in February 2025 because of his commitment to Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, and Affleck moved into the lead role himself. Filming started in Los Angeles in March 2025.

The cast

The cast is the film's biggest selling point. Affleck leads as the candidate, a role that fits his public image as a polished but complicated man. Kerry Washington plays his wife, and she knows this kind of material well, having spent seven seasons as a Washington fixer on Scandal.

This time, the fixer is Gillian Anderson, who plays a high-powered political operator. Steven Yeun, who's been on a strong run since Minari and Beef, plays the campaign manager. Luis Gerardo Méndez, Adriana Paz and Ray Fisher round out the supporting cast.

Even the critics who disliked the film had good things to say about the actors. The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney called them "highly watchable actors." And the Financial Times' Danny Leigh singled out the supporting players, including Anderson.

What critics said

The reviews have been rough. About a day after release, Animals held a 36% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 47 reviews, according to Forbes.

The New York Times' Jeannette Catsoulis called it "an extraordinarily flat political thriller." The Daily Beast's Nick Schager described it as "an unoriginal and suspense-free tale of the haves and the have-nots." And the Associated Press's Jake Coyle, while calling Affleck a thoughtful filmmaker, wrote that the film feels "narratively underpowered and melodramatically forced."

There were some positive takes. The Financial Times described the story as "a cluster bomb of secrets and hidden agendas," and The Hollywood Reporter's Rooney suggested it would work well as a Netflix watch, the kind of thriller you put on and enjoy without overthinking it.

How it compares to Affleck's other films

This is where the reviews sting most. Affleck's track record as a director is excellent. On Rotten Tomatoes, Gone Baby Gone sits at 94%, The Town at 92%, Argo at 96% and Air at 93%.

His lowest-rated film as a director had been Live by Night, the 2016 gangster drama, at 34%. If its early score holds, Animals will land close to that, in the bottom tier of his work.

It's an interesting comparison with Gone Baby Gone in particular. Both films are about a missing child, and both are set in a world where the people in power have something to hide. But where Gone Baby Gone was praised for its slow-burning tension and tough moral choices, most critics feel Animals never builds the same suspense.

Critics versus viewers

Here's the interesting twist. Despite the reviews, Animals became the No. 1 movie on Netflix worldwide shortly after release, according to MovieWeb.

That gap isn't unusual for Netflix. Star-driven thrillers often do very well on the platform, even when critics are lukewarm. A recognizable cast, a simple hook and a runtime under two hours make for an easy choice on a Friday night. Viewers seem willing to give it a try, whatever the reviews say.

The audience reaction has been mixed too, though. Early reports from Screen Rant suggest the film's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes has also been low, so it isn't just critics who were let down.

Should you watch it?

If you're a fan of the cast, it may be worth a look. Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun are all strong performers, and even negative reviews say the actors give the material their best. And at 106 minutes, it's not a big time commitment.

If you're expecting another Gone Baby Gone or The Town, though, lower your expectations. The critical consensus is that Animals doesn't come close to Affleck's best work. Several reviewers found it flat and predictable, which is a tough thing to say about a kidnapping thriller.

The film is rated R, so it's one for adults.

I'll admit I'm surprised by how hard the reviews have been. Affleck has made some of the best crime films of the last 20 years, and this cast is stacked. But sometimes a strong team still turns in a weak game. If you go in expecting a decent, star-filled Netflix thriller rather than a classic, you'll probably have a better time.

So if it's already sitting at the top of your Netflix home screen, give it a shot. Just keep a backup on your list. The Town is always a good second choice.