First Take: American Animals- a movie about loving movies too much

SYNOPSIS-

Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history.

Ah, the almighty Screen Unseen returned with a bang last night, and it felt brilliant to assemble a good chunk of the Great Men and Women™ of TheJackSmit.com (huge thanks to all of you for joining us, it was a fantastic night) for the latest entry to a cinema chain’s unique preview programme. This time, we got Bart Layton’s unique heist picture, and it certainly impressed a packed out screen 1.

Layton’s direction is quite daring for a film like this, clocking in at a tight 1 hour 56 minutes, the film wastes no time in introducing us to the characters as well as the real people who attempted to pull this heist off, a move which was quite divisive and ultimately paid off, as Layton’s own script was able to keep a satisfying amount of tension going throughout- yes, mainstream audiences will have issues with this style, but it is a breath of fresh air. Cinematography is handled really nicely by

Ole Bratt Birkeland, the score from Anne Nikitin is good, and the soundtrack is just pure brilliance.

Performance wise, Evan Peters leads the cast with ease, and supporting him is Dunkirk’s own Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner and Jared Abrahamson- these 4 talents are the reason this film comes alive, as they are able to embody the characters they are playing to a point where (in the case of Peters) they are unrecognisable at times. Yes, the film has its flaws at times (a few pacing issues, but nothing really noticeable), but it is a very solid piece of work, and very much worthy of the Screen Unseen label of ‘films that get you talking’.

THE VERDICT

American Animals is quite a remarkable film, and that’s not just due to the absolutely insane nature of the story that inspired it- it’s a rare heist film that breaks with conventions to create something really unique. Seek this one out when it hits UK cinemas next week, as it might be a big contender for some of those end of year awards.

RATING- 4.5/5