A true story about four college students from Kentucky who decide to steal a series of million-dollar worth paintings. The film contains a different and creative way of storytelling, that consists of both actors and their real-life counterparts. The main story of the heist that takes place in 2004 is told through filmmaking, where the actors play their parts as the four college friends, and the rest of the film is an interview with the four people themselves, where they talk about this event and how it affected their lives. These two different types of scenes are shown in parallel and side-by-side throughout the film, which makes it a completely unique experience.

There are many movies which involve grand heists and robberies, and in the majority of them the heist plays out in an exaggerated and unrealistic fashion. But American Animals completely avoids the clichés of this genre and tells a true story with real people, people with genuine thoughts and emotions.

The editing, use of music and performances of American Animals all create an exciting and impactful film, which is never dull or uninteresting, and proves that a heist film doesn’t need a formulaic and generic Hollywood plot to be appealing.

American Animals is one of the better movies of 2018, and also one that isn’t well-known. I highly recommend it to everyone.