Animals: Ben Affleck Directs and Stars in a Gripping L.A. Kidnapping Thriller
Ben Affleck is back behind the camera with Animals, a tense crime thriller that also puts him in the lead role. He plays Mark Kimball, a candidate in the race for mayor of Los Angeles, whose campaign and marriage are thrown into chaos when his son is kidnapped.
As Mark and his wife Abigail, played by Kerry Washington, scramble to raise the ransom, they are pulled deeper into a web of deception where every choice carries a political and personal cost. Gillian Anderson plays a mysterious adviser brought in to handle the negotiations. Affleck has described the film as a story about moral compromise and, at its heart, about a marriage under pressure.
Quick Facts
- Type: Netflix original film
- Genre: Crime / political thriller
- Director: Ben Affleck
- Cast: Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher
- Produced by: Artists Equity (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon)
- Released: October 9, 2026
Why Watch It
Affleck the director gave us Gone Baby Gone, The Town and Argo, and Animals returns him to the gritty, morally tangled crime territory where he does his best work. With a stacked cast and a ticking-clock premise, it is an easy pick for your weekend watchlist.
