American Animals is a film that dramatizes the true story of four college students involved in stealing of library’s rare book collections. The students involved in the crime have never attempted such an ominous move in the past. As a result, they want to emulate the heists they see in the movies. Spencer Reinhard is the mastermind of the plan although he is a freshman at Transylvania University. The freshman starts thinking about carrying out a theft almost immediately after being given a tour to the library. During the tour, his attention is drawn by John James Audubon’s book, Birds of America.
The rare book is pricey and Spencer incorporates Warren Lipka, a recalcitrant student, who is on the verge of being expelled from the institution. Warren is amused by the idea and departs to Amsterdam to look for buyers. The trip to Amsterdam is not displayed in the film and this makes viewers question Warren’s decency in the whole scenario. Even when the four college mates escape from the library, Warren takes them to New York to look for the value of the books. The incident shows that the students are not honest with each other.
Spencer is depicted as an ominous boy before joining the institution. However, the greed for fine things in life changes his perception. The well-mannered young boy from a humble background becomes corrupt to the core after joining the college. The elements of obscurity and vagueness observed in the film contrast the lives of the characters between when they committed the crime and when they are interviewed after serving their jail sentence. A stark contrast of their personalities between different ages is observable. The movie cautions young people to avoid things that may damage their reputations.
