by Joe Hammerschmidt
[NOTE: Film reviewed during the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival]
Six weeks ago, the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival kicked off for members of the press with the middle-ground equivalent of a whimper and a bang, the first possible evidence of the latter in my professional opinion came in the form of a Sundance favorite destined to make some arthouse waves against the larger summer fare. Any serious fans of the typical heist movie will find a new favorite in British-born Bart Layton, a still relative newcomer in the realm of directing, but still with plenty of experience as a documentarian, combining the two six years prior with The Imposter. His first effort in narrative, American Animals hits Seattle screens for a general run this weekend following a week one SIFF debut, and it was worth the wait. The magical combination of a straightforward biographical crime drama interjected with first-person recollections from the individuals behind the crime they were best known for, there may be nothing else like it this summer.
Late spring 2004, Kentucky’s Transylvania University, a small circuit college with little of a reputation. Struggling artist Warren Lipka (Evan Peters) and closest friend Spencer Reinhard (Barry Keoghan) aren’t necessarily the definition of model students, defiantly going against their sense of entitlement, their status of affluence from childhood. They are clearly looking for a small thrill, a chance for infamy, and it just so happens to fall in the most impossible of locations: the campus library. Discovering Transylvania is the proud home to original manuscripts by the likes of Charles Darwin and John James Audubon, the heels are immediately set in motion for an all-out heist which consumes nearly every waking moment that autumn quarter. Coupled with fellow classmates, the athletic Chas Allen (Blake Jenner), and business-savvy Eric Borsuk (Jared Abrahamson), they intricately plan each move carefully, using classic films as a guide, and their unique set of skills as ideal course adjustments suitable for the task. Simply put, enter in to examine the books, incapacitate any nearby employees, escape with the books in a way that no fingerprints emerge, collect any monetary allocation post-appraisal. Their foolproof plan appears so easy, so finite, so likely to succeed if only their separate personalities didn’t get in the way of their momentum.
Layton and his eye for specificity really make a large difference in giving this otherwise garden-variety thriller a real upside-down spin, for the better. The second-opinion from each of the true-life individuals accused of the theft, a story from long before this writer really gave much notice to the daily news, just adds a great deal to its sophistication. Some of the best documentaries one may experience in a lifetime stick so well to the soul through the candidness of the subjects, and Layton feels uniquely comfortable in that area, going to great lengths to cast the right people who would do the actual subjects sufficient justice. Peters, perhaps best known as the Quicksilver of Fox’s Marvel continuity and a regular member of the American Horror Story repertory, elevates so seamlessly into leading man status, one may wonder why he doesn’t tread that same ground more often. Irish-born Keoghan, a major name following his role in last year’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer, is just the right amount of supportive leg an actor like Peters could feed on easily. Former Glee star Jenner may have been a slight underserved on dialogue, whilst the naturally charismatic Abrahamson delivers your typical scared best friend motif, too eager to look in the best interest of his fellow thieves. No matter what happens between them, the prospect of jail time does loom large.
Going in expecting a breezy, upbeat tale, Layton is just too comfortable in relinquishing the facts of the case, and doing so in a manner both realistic and, by the end, depressing. Seriously, the aftermath of the heist day is all in a mood so dark one could easily wonder if they were still watching the same film. You are, it dives off the deep end, but its empathic laurels remain on high, a sincere heartbreaker if one had never witnessed one this year, let alone one so unexpected. That same principl can easily be said for the camaraderie the quartet share, though specifically Reinhard and Lipka, the brains, and often the charm, of the operation. They’re the consistent glue holding the film together, against the random, often jarring changes in timbre.
Those documentarian interjections, the very same thing Layton applies to set this work apart, wind up causing the largest offense for that off-putting shift, almost like they belong in their own separate companion piece. There may just as well be a slight parallel between the film’s off-balance structure, and that of the bond between the thieving four. The imperfections circling around them are rather impossible to ignore, easy to possibly question their legitimacy as thieves. Then again, that’s the strength of a good thriller, always leaving a viewer questioning everything until a final resolution. Without being aware of the case as a kid, in a period where traditional media still dominated in actually sharing the news, there was a small part of me in viewing this epic who wondered if they could indeed get away with the job. In other words, it simply should not work as well as it does, but Layton easily suspends all natural belief, taking advantage of an unlikely story, finally allowing its dues for a modern audience who’ve grown well past just the old school. American Animals, for all its inherent flaws, may still surprise, if one is so willing. A brave director taking on a unique pet project, with a talented cast immortalizing real-world figures, the combination is something very special in speaking for the wider range of cinematic delights still to be explored this year. Call it a mild pit stop in between more grandiose fare, and dive in; hesitations may occur, but it’s still a fun ride worth any possible risks. (A-)
American Animals opens in Seattle this weekend, additional theaters to follow; AMC Pacific Place 11 and Bellevue’s Cinemark Lincoln Square; rated R for language throughout, some drug use and brief crude/sexual material; 117 minutes.
