I remember that glorious moment when we all realized Ben Affleck could actually direct. Gone Baby Gone was a surprisingly good crime thriller, one of those underseen gems you can recommend to family and friends because they likely haven’t seen it. But even if they have, it usually sparks a conversation about how underrated the film is, considering it didn’t exactly explode at the box office, nor did it sweep the Oscars. He followed that up with The Town, which is always rapidly rising on my list of favorite films of all time. Every time I see it, I’m reminded of just how excellent a heist movie it is, and I suspect it will go down as Ben Affleck’s greatest achievement, even though it isn’t the film that won Best Picture. He created this perfectly tight crime thriller that paid homage to the Boston he grew up in. Then came Argo, which won him a Best Picture trophy without even getting him nominated for Best Director. Another excellent film, incredibly well directed, and seemingly, Ben Affleck was unstoppable. Then came Live by Night, which, while not nearly as successful as his first three films, wasn’t necessarily an atrocity. It was probably his most debatable directorial effort until now. Because now we have Animals, this weird, baffling experiment from Ben Affleck, who is attempting to coherently direct a streaming thriller for Netflix.

I’ve long held the theory that Netflix doesn’t necessarily give its filmmakers the same amount of feedback, nor does it conduct the same level of test screenings that a major studio would, allowing filmmakers the opportunity to fix or reshoot something that isn’t working. If your film isn’t clicking with audiences, you might not know until it hits the streaming service. The problem with showing your movie to friends and family is that you’re trapped in an echo chamber of people who want to see you succeed and don’t necessarily want to give you negative feedback. So, with Ben Affleck also involved in writing Animals, I’m not entirely sure how much meaningful feedback he received before the film was released. He certainly managed to assemble a strong cast, including Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, Gillian Anderson, and Adriana Paz. But having a talented ensemble doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve figured out what to do with them.

Animals also made me miss something about the theatrical experience. When you go to the movies, there’s usually a gradual introduction to the film, with studio logos, perhaps some opening credits, and a little time to settle into the story. Here, I felt like I hit play and was immediately dropped into Ben Affleck’s character stumping for his mayoral campaign. We’re quickly establishing what kind of politician he is and just how desperately he wants to win this election. Then we cut to Halloween, where he and his wife, played by Kerry Washington, are happily allowing their son to go trick-or-treating with his friends, including the son of their housekeeper, who is accompanying the boys. That’s when things start to go horribly awry. Shortly after the children leave, Affleck receives a phone call from a mysterious voice claiming to have kidnapped his son and demanding $7 million if he ever wants to see the boy alive again. The opening stretch follows this couple desperately attempting to meet the demands of the kidnappers, with Affleck’s campaign manager, played by Steven Yeun, becoming one of the few people brought into the situation. He suggests contacting a fixer who can help them come up with the money, although her services come at a considerable cost. Enter Gillian Anderson, who arrives to help strategize their next move, and everyone begins scrambling to figure out how to get the boy back. That is, until the film’s first major twist arrives, completely changing the game for everyone involved and setting the table for an entirely different approach moving forward.

Interestingly, Affleck wasn’t originally his own first choice to star in Animals. He had wanted to direct Matt Damon, but when your best friend is off making The Odyssey, it becomes a little difficult to wait around for him. I also remember reading something about Affleck having a conversation with Jennifer Garner about potentially taking the role that eventually went to Kerry Washington. There’s something about Affleck that works for this character. He has that charming, JFK-style political charisma, the kind of likable personality that makes you understand why people might vote for him, and he’s always been particularly good at playing angry. Although, I suspect Affleck primarily wanted to tackle this role so he could prove to the world that he speaks Spanish, because he certainly speaks quite a bit of it throughout the film. Kerry Washington, unfortunately, didn’t do much for me here. Not only did I struggle to believe her performance as a mother whose child has just been kidnapped, but she’s saddled with a subplot that adds virtually nothing to the film and could have been written out entirely. The standouts are actually in the supporting cast, with Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun delivering more memorable performances, although neither is given enough latitude to truly shine. Both actors have had considerably better opportunities in the past, particularly Yeun, who earned an Academy Award nomination for Minari.

Then there’s the problem with the twists themselves. The first major revelation is something I feel like we just saw in another film last year, and it gave me an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Unfortunately for Affleck, I spent a considerable amount of time thinking about that other movie instead of becoming more invested in the one I was watching. I could tell you exactly which film I’m talking about, but doing so would immediately reveal the twist in Animals, and I don’t particularly enjoy spoiling movies in my reviews. Hopefully, other people will recognize the similarity without me having to spell it out. And while the first twist certainly changes the direction of the story, I’m not convinced it changes it for the better. There are additional developments along the way, but rather than making the film more compelling, they increasingly made me question the choices being made by the characters and the people writing them.

The audio description here is really solid, and considering the amount of Spanish dialogue in the film, I particularly appreciated having it available. Unfortunately, good audio description can only do so much when the story being described isn’t nearly as compelling as it should be. Animals has the ingredients for a terrific crime thriller, including a director who has already demonstrated that he knows how to make one, a strong ensemble cast, and a premise that should generate plenty of tension. But somewhere along the way, Affleck loses his grip on the material. Instead of the tightly constructed storytelling that made Gone Baby Gone and The Town so memorable, we’re left with a film that seems convinced its twists are more clever than they actually are. I didn’t hate Animals, and there are enough interesting moments and performances here to keep it from being a complete disaster. But there’s also not enough here for me to recommend it. It’s a marginally rotten film, one that falls just short of being worth your time, which is perhaps more frustrating than if it had been an outright failure. Ben Affleck has already proven that he knows how to make a great crime thriller. Unfortunately, Animals is a different beast entirely, and not one worth chasing.

Rotten: 5.9/10