In this crime drama, four bright, well-off college students in Lexington, Kentucky, plot to steal some rare books from a university's Special Collections Library in a misguided quest for personal glory. Taking their cues from heist movies, the gang meticulously plots the theft and subsequent fence of the stolen artworks. Although some of the group begin to have second thoughts, they discover that the plan has seemingly taken on a life of its own.
Unfolding from multiple perspectives, and innovatively incorporating the real-life figures at the heart of the story, writer-director Bart Layton (The Imposter) takes the heist movie into bold new territory. This film is rated R (2018, 116 min.).
“American Animals is a high-style caper that touches a deeper chord of youthful indiscretion and moral imbalance. You won't be able to stop talking about it.”
—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone