American Animals (2018), R, ★★★1/2

What drives people to steal something? Well, two things: 1) the fun and 2) the money, potentially for personal reasons. I think the best proof of the latter is Hell or High Water where two brothers have to rob banks (I will still not spoil it since it's two years old) for personal reasons. Heist movies are still up in my alley as it could be a great experience. But, this movie was a different experience that is worthwhile and highly entertaining for people who are a fan of the heist genre.

This movie is a mockumentary style of a heist in which, in Kentucky, most particularly, in Transylvania University, we observe people doing makeup for others that we do not know yet. Spencer (Barry Keoghan) is an artistic student who is friends with Warren (Evan Peters), who is also another student. They are average suburban kids who, along with their friend, Eric (Jared Abrahamson), want to do something incredible to improve their everyday lives. So, they being to hatch up a plan to rob some books in the library that are worth millions of dollars.

They decide to recruit their friend, Chas (Blake Jenner), who is not only comes from a wealthy family, who can be their financier, but also can be their getaway driver. They begin to plot the crime and they realize that the one person who is interfering in the way of the rare books section is Betty Jane Gooch (Ann Dowd), the librarian. Warren decides to take care of her during the heist. The boys practice for the big day and they decide the best way to be conspicuous is to dress like old people but unfortunately, the staff had a meeting in the rare books section, so they had to abort. But, they figure out a new plan.

I really liked the whole direction as it was both stylistic and tense in its situation in which this whole movie is sort of a rebellious event in their youthful lives, even though, there is a chance that the heist might land them in prison. What I love about this movie is that it combines the notions of intelligence and action in a documentary-style that it kicks it up a notch with its energy that becomes a bit fresh and exciting. Plus, I think it is straight-forward with its heist, story and their hypotheses of what might happen because the characters are having fun but they are worried that this "fun" plan might ruin their lives. This movie is all panic and cluelessness as they attempt to be slick like the Ocean's Eleven crew, which they watched the movie in order to prep.

The cast is terrific and the dynamic chemistry is quite well noticed as the actors are having fun. And, Barry Keoghan should get more work as he has gotten some strong work from Dunkirk and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Evan Peters gives an rich, volatile performance as a person who seems intelligent but is the opposite. Blake Jenner is good, too. And, Ann Dowd as the librarian is exceptional.

Director Bart Layton combines the distinctive, stylistic choices from Reservoir Dogs and Ocean's Eleven remake and a bit of the remake, The Thomas Crown Affair. The movie is making fun of itself that I appreciate it because the movie is not entirely original but, again, it has a fresh approach of doing the heist. I like that Layton stage the slick heists of what it might be and then show the antithetical clumsiness in its execution and the undertaking. It is quite humorous and it matches the energy. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I hope this movie is not under-the-radar because I think that the younger demographic will have an entertaining time.

***1/2