Normally heist movies involve stealing tons of cash or some sort of jewel, but in the new movie AMERICAN ANIMALS, the prize is an extremely valuable – er – book. Yes, a book that is worth $12 million. The first trailer is here, and in it we find Evan Peters assembling his gang of outsiders (Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, and Jared Abrahamson) to plan and execute this ridiculous heist. Personalities clash and some comedy comes out of the situations and based on the pull quotes, critics are loving this film from Bart Layton, the filmmaker behind the gripping documentary THE IMPOSTER.
Here is a plot synopsis:
The extraordinary and thrilling true story of four friends (Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, and Jared Abrahamson) living an ordinary existence who brazenly attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in US history. But not everything is as it seems, and as the daring theft unfolds through each of their perspectives, each of them start to question whether their attempts to inject excitement and purpose into their lives is simply a misguided attempt at achieving the American Dream.
What at first comes off as an ominous movie set around several young men soon becomes a slick, fast-paced, darkly comic showcase of what looks like a pretty entertaining heist flick. The cast looks solid, and I loved Layton's work on IMPOSTER, and overall, this looks like a fun twist on the heist flick and could make for some engaging indie fare between summer blockbusters.
AMERICAN ANIMALS is in theaters June 1, and you can read Chris Bumbray's review here!