Ben Affleck’s crime thriller Animals is facing a wave of negative reviews from critics as the Netflix film arrives on Rotten Tomatoes, with several reviewers criticising its writing, storytelling and execution.
Directed by and starring Affleck, the film follows Mark Kimball, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose life spirals into crisis after his son is reported kidnapped. As he struggles to raise a $7 million ransom, the situation takes a complicated turn when the kidnappers are revealed to have taken the son of his family’s housekeeper instead.
The film also stars Kerry Washington as Mark’s wife, Abigail, alongside Steven Yeun, Gillian Anderson, Adriana Paz and Luis Gerardo Méndez. The story explores political ambition, privilege, immigration and the moral choices facing a wealthy family caught in a kidnapping crisis.
However, early reviews have been largely critical. The Associated Press described the film as lacking narrative energy and emotional depth, arguing that its potentially compelling themes are undermined by forced melodrama and flat visuals. The review awarded the film two out of four stars.
Vulture was similarly harsh, calling Animals a “catastrophe” and criticising its writing, disjointed storytelling and underdeveloped characters. The review also argued that the film fails to deliver the moral complexity and tension expected from a kidnapping thriller.
RogerEbert.com also delivered a negative assessment, describing the film as Affleck’s worst directorial effort and criticising its handling of political hypocrisy and immigration. The review argued that the story raises important issues without exploring them in a sufficiently compelling way.
Not every critic has dismissed the film. The Financial Times praised Animals as a tightly constructed thriller, awarding it four stars and highlighting the supporting performances, particularly Gillian Anderson’s portrayal of a mysterious crisis fixer.
Animals is directed by Affleck and written by Affleck, Billy Ray and Connor O. McIntyre. The film is a contemporary reworking of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime drama High and Low, relocating the story to Los Angeles and placing its kidnapping plot against the backdrop of a mayoral campaign.
The film is available on Netflix from October 9, 2026, giving viewers the chance to judge the thriller for themselves amid the divided critical response.
