Ben Affleck returns to the director’s chair with Animals, a gritty crime thriller released globally on Netflix. Alongside his role as director, Affleck stars in the film with Kerry Washington. The movie anchors a narrative that blends high-stakes municipal politics with a terrifying domestic kidnapping plot. Set against the divided backdrop of Los Angeles, the movie examines how quickly a public life can unravel when private secrets and desperate choices collide.
The Plot: A Mayoral Campaign Interrupted by Crisis
The story follows Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck), a wealthy independent candidate running for mayor of Los Angeles. A Gulf War veteran with a background working with the LAPD and local environmental initiatives, Mark appears to be the ideal candidate on paper. His campaign is driven by ambitious advisor Sam Allison, played by Steven Yeun, who pushes Mark to tap into crucial voter demographics regardless of financial strain.
Behind closed doors, Mark’s life is under immense pressure. He has heavily leveraged his personal assets, including his Westside family home, to fund the campaign. He keeps his wife, Abigail (Kerry Washington), in the dark about their precarious financial standing. Abigail, a practicing therapist, manages her own hidden complications, including an ongoing extramarital affair with a university teacher named Ron, played by Ray Fisher.
The fragile equilibrium of their lives shatters on Halloween night. While their preteen son, Denny, is out trick-or-treating with his nanny Cecilia (Adriana Paz), the family receives a chilling phone call demanding a $7 million ransom. A catastrophic mix-up reveals that the kidnapped boy is actually Hector, the son of undocumented ranchero Ramon, played by Luis Gerardo Méndez. As the real identity of the captive comes to light, the kidnapper maintains the ransom demands, forcing the families into a desperate and morally complex struggle.
Cast and Creative Team
Alongside Affleck, Washington, Yeun, Paz, and Méndez, Animals features an acclaimed ensemble cast:
- Gillian Anderson as Dayle Burton, an elite fixer brought in to manage the crisis.
- Ray Fisher as Ron, an academic tied to Abigail’s personal life.
- Christopher Woodley as Denny Kimball, the couple’s son.
- Mark Kassen in a supporting role.
- Matt Gerald, Jacob Estrada, and Luis Gerardo Méndez rounding out the expansive cast.
The script was co-written by Connor McIntyre, Billy Ray, and Ben Affleck. The production brings together Artists Equity-the artist-led studio founded by Affleck, Matt Damon, and Gerry Cardinale of RedBird Capital-alongside Fifth Season and Makeready. Producers on the project include Brad Weston, Collin Creighton, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Dani Bernfeld, and Luciana Damon.
Production and Setting
Filming for Animals took place entirely on location in and around Los Angeles. Production teams utilized real neighborhoods, from foreclosed industrial spaces to the concrete-lined channels of the L.A. River, to ground the narrative in the city’s distinct socio-economic realities. The production aimed to support local California film infrastructure by keeping jobs within the community.
Streaming Details
With a running time of 1 hour and 46 minutes and an R rating for language and violent content, Animals is available to stream worldwide on Netflix.
