Animal (2023)
Animal (2023) Review: A Wild, Exhausting, and Unapologetic Cinematic Rollercoaster
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| Official Poster |
Have you ever walked out of a movie theater feeling like you just survived a three-hour heavyweight boxing match? That was exactly my state of mind when the end credits of Animal finally rolled. I remember stepping out into the cool night air, my ears still ringing from the deafening background score, trying to process what on earth I had just witnessed.
Released in late 2023, Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal was not just a movie; it became a massive cultural event. Everywhere you looked, people were either praising it as a cinematic masterpiece or tearing it to shreds for its controversial themes. As a movie buff, I couldn't just sit on the sidelines. I had to see it for myself. I bought my ticket, grabbed the largest tub of popcorn I could find (knowing I was in for a grueling 3 hours and 21 minutes), and braced myself.
What I got was an experience that was chaotic, deeply unsettling, incredibly stylish, and utterly polarizing. Let's dive deep into this beast of a film and break down exactly what makes it tick, what makes it roar, and where it completely loses its mind.
The Story Overview: A Toxic Love Letter to a Father
At its very core, beneath all the flying bullets, the roaring engines, and the gallons of fake blood, Animal is a story about a boy who just wants his dad to love him. It sounds simple, almost like a family drama, but trust me, it is anything but that.
We are introduced to Ranvijay Singh (played by Ranbir Kapoor), the son of Balbir Singh (Anil Kapoor), who is a massively wealthy and powerful industrial magnate. From the very first flashback, the dynamic is painfully clear. Balbir is a workaholic, emotionally distant, and physically absent father. He loves his family in his own way, but he simply has no time to show it. Ranvijay, on the other hand, is obsessed with his father. His love is not just affection; it is a blind, terrifying devotion that borders on madness.
When a teenage Ranvijay does something drastic to protect his sister, he is shipped off to a boarding school and later to the United States. Years go by. Ranvijay builds a life, falls in love with Geetanjali (Rashmika Mandanna), and tries to be normal. But the tether to his father is never truly severed.
The real story kicks into high gear when an assassination attempt is made on Balbir Singh's life. The moment Ranvijay hears about it, something inside him simply snaps. He returns to India, not just to protect his father, but to hunt down the people responsible and wipe them off the face of the earth. From this point forward, Ranvijay sheds every ounce of his humanity. He gathers his loyal, heavily armed cousins from Punjab, and a ruthless, bloody war begins.
I won't give away the twists, the enemies he faces, or how the family dynamic shifts, but I will say this: the movie is a dark, spiraling descent into the mind of a man who will burn the whole world down just to get a pat on the back from his dad.
Deep Review & Analysis: Peeling Back the Layers of Madness
Storytelling Quality
Sandeep Reddy Vanga does not care if you like his main character. In fact, he actively challenges you to despise him. The storytelling in Animal is aggressively bold. It doesn’t follow the traditional hero’s journey where a flawed man learns his lesson and becomes better. Instead, it’s a tragedy. It’s the story of a man who leans into his flaws until they completely consume him.
The narrative is unapologetic. It doesn't shy away from the ugly, raw, and often deeply offensive traits of its protagonist. While this makes for a fascinating psychological study, it can be a very tough pill to swallow for a casual viewer looking for a standard action flick. You are forced to spend over three hours with a deeply toxic individual.
Direction and Screenplay
From a purely technical standpoint, the direction is phenomenal. Vanga has a distinct, gritty visual style. The way he frames his shots, the way he uses color to depict different phases of Ranvijay’s life, and the way he stages the action sequences are all top-tier. There is a kinetic, manic energy to the camera work that perfectly matches the protagonist's state of mind.
The screenplay, however, is a very mixed bag. The first half of the movie is tight, suspenseful, and incredibly engaging. The buildup to the interval is some of the best cinema I’ve seen in recent years. But the second half? It goes completely off the rails. The screenplay becomes self-indulgent, introducing strange subplots, medical anomalies, and relationship dramas that drag the pacing down to a crawl.
Pacing and Engagement
Let’s be brutally honest: 3 hours and 21 minutes is a massive commitment. Does the movie justify this runtime? In my opinion, no.
The first two hours fly by. You are glued to the screen, watching this family dynamic unravel and the violence escalate. But post-interval, the pacing suffers heavily. There are long, drawn-out scenes of marital disputes and monologues that could have easily been left on the cutting room floor. As a viewer, I found myself checking my watch during the third act, just waiting for the final showdown to happen.
Emotional Impact
This movie will make you feel things. You might feel adrenaline, you might feel disgust, you might feel pity, or you might just feel exhausted. But you will not feel indifferent. The emotional impact is heavy, primarily because of the intense family trauma on display. Seeing a son destroy his own soul for a father who barely looks at him is tragic. The movie hits you hard, but it’s a blunt-force trauma rather than an emotional resonance.
Performances: A Masterclass in Unhinged Acting
If there is one reason to watch this movie, it is the acting. The performances elevate the script to a whole new level.
Ranbir Kapoor as Ranvijay:
I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that this is the best performance of Ranbir Kapoor’s entire career. He is absolutely terrifying, yet you cannot take your eyes off him. He physically transforms, bulking up and adopting a heavy, menacing walk. But the real acting happens in his eyes. There is a cold, dead stare he gives when he is about to commit violence, juxtaposed with the desperate, almost childlike look in his eyes when he is talking to his father. He brings a terrifying charisma to a character who is, for all intents and purposes, a monster.
Anil Kapoor as Balbir Singh:
Anil Kapoor is the perfect counterbalance to Ranbir’s explosive energy. He plays Balbir with a quiet, imposing stoicism. He doesn't need to yell to show authority. The subtle ways he shows his discomfort and fear as he realizes what his son has become are brilliant. He portrays the tragedy of a man who realizes too late that his neglect has created a psychopath.
Rashmika Mandanna as Geetanjali:
Rashmika had a very tough job here. Playing the wife of an unhinged alpha male is a thankless task, but she holds her own beautifully. She isn't just a silent victim; she fights back. There is a crucial confrontation scene between her and Ranbir in the second half where she absolutely explodes with grief and anger. It’s raw, it feels real, and despite some issues with dialogue delivery, she brings a much-needed human anchor to the film.
Bobby Deol as Abrar:
Lord Bobby! He has perhaps 15 minutes of screen time in this mammoth of a movie, but he leaves an unforgettable impact. Playing the mute, equally unhinged antagonist, Bobby Deol acts entirely with his face and body language. His entry sequence (dancing with a glass on his head to the song "Jamal Kudu") went viral for a reason. He is a looming threat, a mirror image of Ranvijay, and his physical presence is fantastic.
Tripti Dimri as Zoya:
Without giving too much away, Tripti Dimri enters the narrative late but plays a highly pivotal role. She brings a soft, deceptive vulnerability to the screen that completely shifts the dynamic of the second half.
What Works (The Pros)
Here are the things that I genuinely loved about the movie:
1. A Career-Defining Lead Performance:
I have to mention it again because it’s that good. Ranbir Kapoor carries this 3.5-hour behemoth on his shoulders. Even when the script falters, his sheer screen presence keeps you engaged. He fully committed to the madness, and it shows in every single frame.
2. The Outstanding Background Score and Soundtrack:
The music in Animal is a character of its own. Harshavardhan Rameshwar’s background score is thunderous, utilizing heavy bass, rock elements, and traditional Punjabi folk music. The use of the song "Arjan Vailly" during a massive, brutal pre-interval action sequence is an absolute masterstroke of audio-visual storytelling. The music elevates every single scene.
3. Visceral, Raw Action Choreography:
The action in this film isn't about looking cool; it’s about survival. It’s messy, it’s bloody, and it feels incredibly painful. The hotel hallway sequence, featuring men in suits fighting with axes, is a stunning piece of action cinema. It’s choreographed like a brutal ballet of violence, and the practical effects make every hit feel impactful.
4. The Audacity of the Vision:
In an era where many blockbuster movies feel like they were made in a corporate boardroom to offend the least amount of people, Animal is a wildly specific, uncompromising vision from its director. I respect a movie that takes massive swings. It doesn't play it safe, and whether you agree with its politics or not, you have to admire the sheer boldness of the filmmaking.
5. The Dynamic of the Punjabi Cousins:
Ranvijay’s squad of cousins provided much-needed camaraderie and energy to the film. Their unquestioning loyalty and the way they move together as a pack added a really unique flavor to the action scenes. They felt like a real, deeply bonded family.
What Doesn’t Work (The Cons)
As much as I admired the craft, there were some major roadblocks that hindered my experience.
1. The Exhausting Runtime and Messy Second Half:
At 201 minutes, the movie is simply too long. Vanga falls in love with his own material and refuses to trim the fat. The entire track regarding Ranvijay’s physical recovery and his bizarre, manipulative romantic subplot in the second half brings the movie's momentum to a screeching halt. A good editor could have easily shaved 45 minutes off this film, making it a much tighter, more effective thriller.
2. Deeply Problematic and Toxic Themes:
You can't review Animal without addressing the elephant in the room. The film displays extreme levels of toxic masculinity, misogyny, and domestic abuse. While one can argue that portraying a bad person isn't the same as endorsing their behavior, the movie often walks a very fine line, occasionally seeming to glorify Ranvijay's "alpha male" dominance. The way the female characters are treated and spoken to is highly uncomfortable to watch. It leaves a bitter taste in your mouth and makes it very hard to connect with the protagonist on any empathetic level.
3. An Underutilized Villain:
As great as Bobby Deol is, he is criminally underused. You spend almost three hours building up to this ultimate clash between two titans, but because Bobby is introduced so late in the game, the rivalry feels a bit rushed. I wished the screenplay had given us more time to understand his motivations and build a deeper cat-and-mouse dynamic before the bloody climax.
Personal Opinion: How It Actually Felt to Watch It
Writing this review, I realize how conflicted I am. As someone who loves the technical art of filmmaking, I was mesmerized. I caught myself gripping the armrests of my seat during the interval block, totally swept up in the adrenaline, the music, and the incredible camera work. I was watching a director operating at the absolute peak of his technical abilities.
But as a human being, sitting in the dark theater, I felt deeply uncomfortable for large chunks of the second half. Watching Ranvijay verbally and physically dominate the women in his life, and seeing his behavior framed with a booming, heroic background score, was jarring.
It’s a bizarre feeling to be absolutely wowed by an actor's performance while simultaneously being repulsed by the character they are playing. I walked out of the theater feeling drained. I didn't feel the triumphant high you usually get after an action movie. Instead, I felt like I needed a long shower and a quiet cup of tea.
It is a movie that I am glad I watched because of its sheer cultural footprint and cinematic quality, but I don't think I will ever watch it again. It’s too heavy, too dark, and too exhausting for a re-watch. It’s the kind of film you debate with your friends over dinner for hours because everyone has a radically different takeaway from it.
Final Verdict
Animal is not a movie for everyone. If you are sensitive to extreme violence, toxic relationships, or incredibly long runtimes, you should stay far, far away from this one. It will upset you, and honestly, it’s designed to do exactly that.
However, if you are a fan of dark, unhinged character studies, if you want to see some of the best action choreography Indian cinema has produced in years, and if you want to witness a masterclass in acting by Ranbir Kapoor, it is an absolute must-watch.
It is a deeply flawed, highly controversial, and overstuffed piece of cinema, but it is also undeniably powerful and unforgettable. Sandeep Reddy Vanga set out to make a movie that would shake the audience to its core, and love it or hate it, he succeeded entirely.
My Rating: 7.5 / 10
Image Alt Text: Animal 2023 movie poster: A bloodied, aggressive Ranbir Kapoor smoking a cigarette while holding a massive axe.
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