American Animals (2018)

Four young men mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious heists in U.S. history.

Director:

Bart Layton

Writer:

Bart Layton

Stars:

Spencer Reinhard, Warren Lipka, Eric Borsuk

7 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Reinhard	...	The Real Spencer Reinhard
Warren Lipka	...	The Real Warren Lipka
Eric Borsuk	...	The Real Eric Borsuk
Chas Allen	...	The Real Chas Allen
Betty Jean Gooch	...	The Real Betty Jean 'BJ' Gooch (as Betty Jean 'BJ' Gooch)
Evan Peters	...	Warren
Blake Jenner	...	Chas
Barry Keoghan	...	Spencer
Jared Abrahamson	...	Eric
Eddie King	...	Male Art Professor
Karen Wheeling Reynolds	...	Female Art Professor (as Karen Reynolds)
James Rackley	...	Active
Drew Starkey	...	Frat Boy
Anthony J. Police	...	Man with Gun
Ann Dowd	...	Betty Jean 'BJ' Gooch

Storyline

In this crime drama, four bright and well-off college students in Kentucky plot to steal some rare books from their university's Special Collections Library in a misguided quest for personal glory. Based on the story, the film includes interviews with the foursome who attempted the bizarre heist. Starring Barry Keoghan, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson and Ann Dowd.

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Plot Keywords:

heist | heist gone wrong | rare book | book | disguise | 

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Taglines:

This is not based on a true story. This happened.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language throughout, some drug use and brief crude/sexual material

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official Instagram

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Dutch

Release Date:

14 August 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

American Animals

Filming Locations:

Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$134,793, 3 June 2018

Gross USA:

$2,856,954

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,080,073

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film4, New Amsterdam Film Company, RAW

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2:39:1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is a true story about college students who stole a priceless book from Transylvania University, which is located in Lexington, Kentucky. Though the movie was filmed in North Carolina.

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Goofs

At the end of the movie, when it is explaining what each character is up to now, the text says that Charles Allen II is "writing a book on prison workout regimes." It should be "regimens". A "regime" refers to governments or periods of rule, whereas a "regimen" refers to exercise or any other scheduled activity.

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Quotes

Warren Lipka: Seriously, man, fuck fraternities. The reason to be a part of that is so one day you can walk in the door of an office you never wanna go in to see a guy you never wanna meet, on the hopes that he might give you a job you never wanna fucking do.

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Connections

References The Getaway (1972)

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Soundtracks

I'm Alive
Words and Music by Peter Lucia, Tommy James
Performed by Gil Hamilton (as Johnny Thunder)
Published by EMI Longitude Music
Licensed courtesy of Warner Music UK Ltd.

User Reviews

A slow build up to an intense ending

This film tells the story of four students who plan a heist to steal precious books from the library.

It takes an hour to get the story going, and hence initially I thought the film could be a bore. After the adrenaline kicks in, I couldn't believe how engaging and intense the film become. The interviews with the real individuals concerned are very very interesting, and makes this film very special. I enjoyed it a lot.