Ben Affleck and Scandal icon star in tense trailer for upcoming crime thriller

Netflix has released a trailer for upcoming crime thriller Animals – the latest directorial effort from A-lister Ben Affleck.

Affleck also stars in the film alongside Scandal icon Kerry Washington, The X Files and Sex Education star Gillian Anderson and Beef's Steven Yeun, while there are supporting roles for Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher, Matt Gerald, Luis Gerardo Méndez.

The trailer begins with Affleck and Washington's characters canoodling on a sofa while the former says in voiceover: "A very wise person once told me that in a crisis we discover who we are and what's important to us."

Later, he adds: "I see now more than ever how true those words are. Sometimes justice and the letter of the law are exactly aligned. Sometimes it requires us to make very difficult, very human decisions."

We then see that the character is giving a speech at a town hall, which he signs off: "And that will be my job as mayor."

Throughout the rest of the trailer, the tension ratchets up as we get drawn into a world of politics, crime, corruption and kidnapping. You can watch it in full below:

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The film – which Affleck wrote alongside Connor O McIntyre and Billy Ray – is set to arrive exclusively on Netflix on Friday 9 October.

The official logline reads: "When their son is kidnapped, a Los Angeles mayoral candidate and his wife find themselves drawn into a web of deception.

"As they scramble to raise the ransom payment, they’re forced to make choices – and reveal secrets – that could tear their world apart."

In total, it will be Affleck's sixth film as director following Gone Baby Gone, The Town, Argo, Live By Night and Air.

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Animals is released on Netflix on Friday 9 October.

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Authors

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.