Animal World

Zheng Kaisi is a young man burdened by significant debts. To resolve his financial crisis, he travels to a disused warship in international waters to participate in a high-stakes gambling tournament. Managed by a sinister host, the competition forces participants into a lethal version of rock-paper-scissors. Zheng must rely on his mathematical skills to survive the dangerous games and escape the ship.

This 2018 Chinese production was written and directed by Yan Han, marking the start of a directorial career that includes later works such as Neighbors and Viva La Vida. The film stars Li Yifeng as Zheng Kaisi, alongside Michael Douglas, Zhou Dongyu, Cao Bingkun, Wang Ge, and Su Ke. The production involved companies including Tencent Pictures and Gravity Pictures, with a credited crew of 168 people.

The movie earned 70 million USD at the worldwide box office. Audience reception is generally positive, with a rating of 7/10 on TMDB based on 265 votes. However, professional critics gave the film a lower score of 5.6/10 on the same platform, based on 13 reviews.