Animal Factory (2000)

Excellent adaptation.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Steve Buscemi's first feature as director was Trees Lounge, an engaging drama about the bored, alcohol-drenched inhabitants of a small town, and their day-to-day interactions. For his second, Buscemi explores many of the same themes of aimlessness and having too much time on your hands, but changes the setting and tone entirely. Adapting Eddie Bunker's novel of the same name (the real- life ex-con also shares script writing duties with John Steppling), Animal Factory is about as unglamorous as prison drama gets. With a heightened sense of realism, violence and rape lurk at every turn, often happening so quickly that you barely have the chance to comprehend it. Buscemi and Bunker also find time to explore an engaging father-and-son relationship, albeit one taut with tension and distrust.After receiving an incredibly harsh sentence for drug possession, young Ron Decker (Edward Furlong) is packed off to prison where his youthful looks quickly attracts unwanted attention. Proving himself to be completely ill-equipped to handle the danger he faces, he is taken in by the shaven-headed Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe), who teaches him the ropes and how to spot a threat. A man of little physical prowess, Earl has risen to a position of authority by using his background in law to improve the living and working standards of his fellow inmates. Surrounded by his gang of trusted bruisers (including Danny Trejo, Mark Boone Junior, and The Wire's Chris Bauer), Earl promises to protect the vulnerable Ron. Pondering Earl's true intentions, Ron at first keeps the smiling convict at arm's length, until a bond is formed that just may help the young offender to make it out alive.By shaping the drama in the most unsensational way imaginable, Buscemi adds the necessary grit to Bunker's knowing words, with many of Bunker's novels taking inspiration from his own time in the slammer. Performances impress across the board, as you would expect from an ensemble taking direction from such a seasoned pro (who also appears). In particular, there are memorable roles for Mickey Rourke, playing Furlong's motor-mouthed, transvestite cell-mate, and, of all people, Tom Arnold, who is unnervingly convincing as a predatory rapist with his eye on Ron. But the film belongs to its two leads. Dafoe brings extra layers to his somewhat sensitive gang leader, and Furlong, one of many promising young actors who emerged in the 90s to disappear into the ether, is particularly effective as the protagonist. Changing his behaviour to suit his surroundings, we see the prison sculpt him into the type of career criminal the system's suppose to prevent. While the matter-of-fact approach prevents it from generating any real momentum - despite an attempted prison-break climax - Animal Factory is quietly powerful in small moments.

Ron Decker (Edward Furlong) is busted for dealing marijuana. He comes from privilege, but the court is determined to make an example out of him, to prove that they show no favouritism among criminals. Shortly after his arrival in prison, he's able to make the acquaintance of Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe), a veteran convict who takes Ron under his wing.As anybody familiar with the late actor / writer / former convict Edward Bunker could expect, this simply drips with authenticity. Director Steve Buscemi opts to go for gritty realism, and achieves it masterfully. He doesn't concern himself with being flashy or stylistic, and creates an utterly convincing environment. What's commendable about "Animal Factory" is that it goes for more nuance than one might expect, and doesn't merely deal in stereotypes when it comes to the convict characters. Buscemi also fills the cast with an excellent ensemble of his peers. He filmed this at the actual Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.Furlong is just right in his role; he's no wide eyed innocent, for sure; his character is no stereotype, either. But it's Dafoe who will command the viewers' attention. He performs with a subtle level of intensity and charisma. You can believe in Earl as a pivotal figure in this prison. An unrecognizable Mickey Rourke plays Rons' transvestite cellmate, and does it with a refreshing lack of exaggeration. The sterling group of actors also includes Danny Trejo, himself a former jailbird who made good (Trejo and Bunker are co-producers as well), Mark Boone Junior, Seymour Cassel, Tom Arnold, John Heard, Chris Bauer, J.C. Quinn, Larry Fessenden, and Buscemi himself.There's no melodrama here. Everything is appreciably under stated. Straightforward filming of Bunkers' novel and efficient storytelling make this a fine bit of entertainment.Seven out of 10.

Naive young first-time felon Ron Decker (a fine and credible performance by Edward Furlong) gets sent to a rough penitentiary to serve a two year sentence. While incarcerated Ron meets and gets taken under the protective wing of cagey top con Earl Copen (superbly played with conviction and subtlety by Willem Dafoe). Director Steve Buscemi, working from a gripping and hard-hitting script by John Steppling and Edward Bunker (the latter not only adapts his novel, but also appears in a small part as venerable felon Buzzard), astutely nails the drab workaday reality of life in prison: strained racial relationships, sudden outbursts of brutal violence (said violence is handled with admirable taste and restraint), the horrific possibility of anal rape, the widespread availability of hard drugs, the struggle to retain one's humanity in a place where savagery reigns supreme, and the general tedium one experiences while sweating it out behind bars. Moreover, Buscemi warrants additional praise for emphasizing stark realism over cheap sentiment and lurid sensationalism -- the father/son bond that develops between Earl and Ron is genuinely touching without ever becoming too corny or sappy -- and utilizing a convincingly straightforward no-frills style throughout. Kudos are also in order for the sterling acting from a uniformly bang-up cast: Dafoe and Furlong both do ace work in their roles, with commendable support from Danny Trejo, Mark Boone Junior, and Chris Bauer as members of Earl's gang; Mickey Rourke, who's very funny as Ron's flamboyant transvestite cell mate Jan the Actress, Seymour Cassel as amiable chief guard Lt. Seeman, and, in a truly surprising turn, Tom Arnold as foul, vicious, and predatory chickenhawk Buck Rowan. John Lurie's spare bluesy score and Phil Parmet's plain cinematography further enhance the overall gritty plausibility. An absolute powerhouse.

What's really the point of this borefest? I want to see a prison film with some sort of story not one which ends up with one of them messing about in a garbage truck for what? To escape? We never saw anything after as the credits rolled up. This of course made it unreal. If anyone entered one of these machines he would be cut up in 10 minutes. Its also not what we see on any of these documentaries about America's most dangerous prisons where blacks,whites and Mexicans are separated and to step into the wrong turf would mean a week in the hospital. These kind of films are supposed to be escapist entertainment so why not throw in a few killings?