American Animals (2018)

Directed by: Bart Layton | 119 minutes | biography, crime | Actors: Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, Barry Keoghan, Jared Abrahamson, Gary Basaraba, Lara Grice, Udie Kier, Wayne Duvall, Whitney Goin, Robert C. Treveiler, Jane McNeill, Maggie Lacey

In the true event ‘American Animals’ we see four young people who cross a border, but unfortunately do not see the consequences beforehand. The main victim of their rash action, librarian Betty Jean Gooch, says it at the end of this semi-documentary: “I wonder if they even knew why they were doing it. It was thoughtless and unnecessary. They wanted to change their lives in an easy way, simply because they were too lazy to work for it.”

Betty Jean works in the library of the University of Transylvania, Kentucky. In this library are also some priceless books displayed in display cases. And that prompts Warren Ripka, a lap girl of a high school sports student, to transfer his friend Spencer Reinhard (studying to be an artist) and two other buddies, Eric Borsuk (mathematical geek) and Charles Thomas Allen (“Chas”). fetch these valuable books to steal. Just, during the day, easy enough. To give their lives a little more adventure in this way, because ‘that’s what they all want, right?’ Otherwise, they’re going to “hit themselves in the head later if they pass up this opportunity.” The three actually let themselves be persuaded against their will. Books worth 12 million dollars and Warren who says he has already found a buyer in Amsterdam, think again…

In Bart Layton’s film, the real characters also appear in front of the camera: Spencer’s parents, who were already unhappy with their son’s friendship with Warren. Spencer, Warren and Eric themselves as well as sports fanatic Chas. The director builds it up slowly and when the stories of the real protagonists are served up, you really only wonder one thing: Why?

Warren is most driven to keep the “joke” going. Almost maniacally, he drives the others to do their part as well. So Chas is the driver and Spencer is outside on the lookout. However, two half-hearted, ill-prepared attempts later, the boys find themselves trying to reach beyond their means. Gambled badly and lost badly. What should have been a ‘walk in the park’ turned into a nightmare. ‘American Animals’ contains a touch of ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’. Fiction and reality are intertwined. Sometimes in an original way, because when they drive to the library for the first try, the real Spencer is standing by the side of the road.

Oh well, playing the criminal is no mean feat. There’s more to it than the four boys thought. And that gives them a hefty turn around the ears. Next time maybe check out a little more ‘books’?