American Animals

In 2004, four students with no previous criminal records planned one of the most spectacular thefts in US history. Armed only with the experience they had gained from watching Hollywood heist movies, they wanted to steal a precious book worth millions from their university's collection. But reality is somehow much more complicated than the world of Danny Ocean & Co. – yet the story of the four would-be robbers is just as incredible as it is true! This highly entertaining docudrama blurs the lines between fiction and documentary by occasionally having the real-life models for the characters appear alongside the actors. Different versions of the same scene are also shown to reflect the different accounts of the events by those involved. "The completely naive would-be robbers have no idea what they are doing, cobbling together their ideas for the heist from pop culture. It is obvious to everyone in the audience that the story will, and must, end in disaster. Except for those who want to steal the books. With a mixture of curiosity, mischievous joy, but also pity, we watch and wait to see how it will all turn out. The resolution itself can't quite maintain the high standard set earlier. The transition from mischievous humor to the seriousness of the situation is jarring, and Layton doesn't quite know how to end his story. But the film's minor stumbles are easily forgiven, because it was too good, too imaginative, and too exciting before that. (Oliver Armknecht, on: film-rezensionen.de) On the musical level, “American Animals” uses numerous popular songs with ironic verve, including “Free Animal” by Foreign Air, “Hurdy Gurdy Man” by Donovan, “Red Balloon” by Tim Hardin, “Bullet in the Head” by Rage Against the Machine, "Ms. Fat Booty“ by Mos Def, ”Here Come the Nice“ by the Small Faces, ”Carbona Not Glue“ by the Ramones, ”Vitamin C“ by Can, ”Peace Frog“ by the Doors, ”Who By Fire“ by Leonard Cohen, and ”Crucify Your Mind" by Rodriguez.