Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort, Animals, has landed on Netflix with a quiet rollout that belies its high-concept premise. The film follows Mark Kimball (Affleck), a populist independent running for mayor of Los Angeles, who’s poured every last dollar of his inherited wealth into the campaign. When his teenage son is kidnapped and held for ransom, Kimball is forced to confront the limits of his principles — especially when he learns the kidnappers took the wrong child. The boy in question is being cared for by Kimball’s Mexican housekeeper and her undocumented partner, a twist that complicates the moral stakes and forces Kimball to reckon with unintended consequences. With help from a coldly efficient fixer played by Gillian Anderson, the couple navigates a web of deception, financial ruin, and personal betrayal. Anderson’s character, dressed in white and speaking with a clipped English accent, offers solutions at a steep price, collateral that could be used later, should the need arise. Her performance stands out as the film’s most compelling element, even if the script doesn’t fully exploit her presence. Kerry Washington plays Kimball’s wife, whose own secrets. Including a brief but telling cameo by Ray Fisher, Affleck’s former Justice League co-star, add texture but little depth to an already thin role. The film’s political backdrop, set against a backdrop of L.A. Real estate and campaign finance, feels underdeveloped. Despite the setting shift from Akira Kurosawa’s original High and Low and Spike Lee’s 2025 remake Highest 2 Lowest, the story beats remain nearly identical: a man willing to sacrifice everything for his child, only to discover the cost isn’t just financial. JoBlo.com notes that while the denouement is clever, the execution feels uninspired, especially for a filmmaker known for sharper work like Gone Baby Gone or Argo. The cinematography, handled by Robert Elswit. The same DP behind The Town, is technically sound but tailored for small screens, with repetitive drone shots of Los Angeles. A more unsettling detail comes from Affleck himself: he confirmed using AI tools during production, through his own company, which sold the technology to Netflix. This revelation unsettles some viewers, making them second-guess the authenticity of certain visuals. The film’s low-key release contrasts sharply with Netflix’s aggressive rollout of Affleck’s previous project, The Rip, which was a major hit. Critics suggest Animals reads less like a bold cinematic statement and more like a formulaic thriller designed for second-screen viewing. It’s not a bad movie per se, but it’s far from the kind of standout work audiences expect from Affleck behind the camera. The film premiered on October 8, 2026, and is now streaming globally.