Movie Review: Animals (2026)

Genre: Crime Drama Thriller  

Director: Ben Affleck  

Starring: Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson  

Running Time: 106 minutes  

Synopsis: Mark Kimball (Ben Affleck) is an independent candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles. With election day approaching, he navigates financial pressures with campaign manager Sam (Steven Yuen). Meanwhile, Mark's wife Abigail (Kerry Washington) is having a secret affair. Their child Denny is cared for by housekeeper Cecilia (Adriana Paz), whose partner Ramon (Luis Geraldo Mendez) is a proud handyman but an illegal alien in the US. Mark's world is upended when Denny is kidnapped and held for a $7 million ransom. Sam calls upon shadowy high-priced fixer Dayle Burton (Gillian Anderson) to resolve the crisis, but many unexpected twists await.

What Works Well: This slick thriller builds tension with taut pacing, several surprises, and an icy Gillian Anderson performance. The foundational cracks in the relationship between Mark and Abigail (he is keeping money secrets, she is cheating) provide a crackle in the pair's reaction to the kidnapping, while Dayle's all-business approach to crisis management adds a riveting core of emotionless efficiency. Housekeeper Cecilia and her partner Ramon grow in prominence as the clock ticks down.

What Does Not Work As Well: The limited information about the kidnapper leaves the drama short of a worthwhile villain. A couple of scenes hint at budget limitations, notably an under-staged but supposedly pivotal public campaign event. The plot is overburdened with sub-themes, including the status of immigrants, the class divide, campaign finance, a fractured marriage, and corruption embedded in money-fueled power. Unsurprisingly, the resolutions fall short, and the postscript to the kidnapping ordeal is particularly unconvincing.

Key Quote:

Dayle: Power creates leverage, and leverage dictates outcomes.

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Movie Review: Crooked House (2017)

Genre: Crime Mystery  

Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner  

Starring: Max Irons, Stefanie Martini, Glenn Close, Terence Stamp, Julian Sands, Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendricks  

Running Time: 115 minutes  

Synopsis: In 1950s England, Sophia Leonides (Stefanie Martini) asks private detective Charles Hayward (Max Irons) to investigate the death of her grandfather Aristide, a wealthy Greek tycoon. Sophia believes Aristide was poisoned, and the suspects include his new young wife and former Las Vegas showgirl Brenda (Christina Hendricks), his ex-sister-in-law Lady Edith (Glenn Close), his son Philip (Julian Sands), and daughter-in-law Magda (Gillian Anderson). Charles' investigation is complicated by memories of his brief wartime fling with Sophia, and growing interest in the case by Scotland Yard's Inspector Taverner (Terence Stamp). 

What Works Well: This classy adaptation of the Agatha Christie whodunnit benefits from brisk pacing, lavish locations, and a colourful cast of suspects. As a relatively low-key but still astute investigator, Charles Hayward doggedly reveals a complex web of motives, conspiracies, illicit affairs, and interpersonal jealousies, casting suspicion in all directions. Even Aristide's younger grandchildren, the astute pre-teen Josephine (who observes and writes everything) and the cynical teenager Eustace (who is unafraid to ask the boldest questions), get involved in the machinations, along with their tutor. 

What Does Not Work As Well: Too many characters within the Leonides mansion vie for the same screen time, and many have to settle for shorthand representations. Given the complexities within this family, the ending is rushed, and although the gather-all-the-suspects-in-a-room climactic scene is mercifully avoided, Charles' sleuthing efforts also don't amount to much.

Key Quote:

Josephine: The murderer is never the one you initially suspect.

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Movie Review: Scoop (2024)

Genre: Biographical Drama  

Director: Philip Martin  

Starring: Billie Piper, Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Keeley Hawes  

Running Time: 103 minutes  

Synopsis: In 2010, a New York paparazzo snaps a photo of Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In 2019, the Prince's private secretary Amanda Thirsk (Keeley Hawes) is still attempting to rehabilitate his reputation and connects with BBC Newsnight producer Sam McAlister (Billie Piper) to discuss a possible interview. When Epstein is rearrested and then commits suicide in prison, the pressure builds on Andrew to give his side of the story, and he agrees to an interview with Newsnight's host Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson).

What Works Well: The interview that ended Prince Andrew's public life is the punctuation mark at the end of a strategic dance between press and palace. With the televised event now a part of journalistic history, director Philip Martin develops tension by exploring the BBC team's anxieties (how does the national broadcaster challenge a Prince?) as well as their star-struck emotions within the monarchy's renowned halls. The screenplay is based on Sam McAlister's book, and here she is portrayed as a misfit doggedly pursuing an unlikely opportunity by forging a bond with Amanda Thirsk. Andrew's loyal assistant is desperate for him to emerge from the shadow of a sordid association, in a classic case of high risk and high reward.

What Does Not Work As Well: The public comeuppance of a largely irrelevant royal is of only so much interest. Here Epstein is a tertiary presence, and his victims barely feature.

Conclusion: A bursting bubble of self-delusion is an impressive spectacle.



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