Animals Movie Poster
FEATURE FILM ARCHIVE

Animals (2026)

8.6 / 10 TMDB
  • 📅 Release Year: 2026
  • ⭐ Consensus: 8.6/10
  • 🎭 Top Cast: 3 credited actors

Premise & Logline

Ben Affleck directs and stars in a gritty, high-stakes Los Angeles kidnapping thriller about parental desperation and corrupt political secrets.

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🎬 In-Depth Cinematic Critique & Analysis

THE BEST ACTORS EDITORIAL EXCLUSIVE

Ben Affleck Returns to Gritty Crime Noir

Produced under Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s artist-led banner Artists Equity, Animals marks Affleck’s triumphant return to the gritty crime thriller genre that birthed The Town and Gone Baby Gone.

The Kidnapping of Denny Kimball

Set during the fever pitch of an ultra-contentious Los Angeles mayoral campaign, candidate Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck) and his estranged wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) suffer every parent’s worst nightmare on Halloween night: their young son Denny is abducted during trick-or-treating by an elusive crew demanding $7 million in untraceable cash before dawn.

With his campaign funds secretly drained into illicit campaign consulting and unable to rely on the LAPD without ruining his political career, Mark enlists an enigmatic criminal fixer (Steven Yeun). Together, the estranged parents descend into the violent underbelly of Southern California, uncovering shocking betrayal inside their own political inner circle.

Streaming Sensation on Netflix

Debuting at #1 in the United States and over 80 countries worldwide, Animals showcases Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington at the peak of their dramatic powers, delivering taut pacing and relentless moral complexity.

The Cast Leaderboard

Ranked by all-time algorithmically verified TBA Power Index scores.

#1
Ben Affleck Profile Photo - The Best Actors
Ben Affleck
★ 5.0
#2
Gillian Anderson Profile Photo - The Best Actors
Gillian Anderson
★ 5.0
#3
Steven Yeun Profile Photo - The Best Actors
Steven Yeun
★ 5.0
Lead Cast Head-to-Head Battle: Ben Affleck vs Gillian Anderson
Who gave the more defining performance? Compare their career power scores & filmographies.
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