Animal Factory

Ron Decker (Edward Furlong) is a young man that is arrested for drug dealing and is sent to prison. Once there he has an hard time adapting to the life behind bars: however he is taken under the wing of Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe), an older convict that helps him in practically everything he needs and lets him join his gang. Most of the movie is just Ron hanging out with Earl's gang, life in the penitentiary and the escape attempts leading to the final one.

At times the movie was grim but the actors' performances (Dafoe, Furlong, Danny Trejo, Tom Arnold in a rare villainous role, Mickey Rourke as a cross-dresser) were so good that out-weighted the film's shortcomings. Steve Buscemi is a fine actor but here as a director looks out of his element. While not outstanding, just an ok prison movie.

With it being an election year, the pressure is on when a privileged white kid is found with a considerable amount of drugs and the judge sends him down for five years. With his boyish good looks and youth Ron Decker is a clear mark for rapists and gangs. However, early in his time he gets connected to the head of one of the gangs, Earl Copen, who takes him under his wing and looks after him.

Being a big fan of Oz, the trailer for this film drew me simply because the similarities to this series was a draw to me. Despite the big names attached to this film I can only assume it did limited business in the US as it seemed to take years to reach the UK. Despite this wait I was still interested in seeing it and got it on dvd recently. The film is more realistic than the hyper brutal Oz, as it focuses on real characters without ignored the reality of rape and gangs. The dramas of prison life are on the screen and are dramatic, but the script has a few problems.

It is never satisfactorily explained why Copen takes Decker under his wing. Why does this hardened, bitter lifer take to this new fish over any other one? The answer isn't ever made clear and is barely hinted at; after a while the film seems to want to just get past this whole issue and move on with the story. This it does well and the story is interesting and involving (except that whole niggle), at least until a terribly unsatisfying cop-out ending which really left me feeling disappointed in the whole thing.

The cast are excellent though and are mostly used well. Dafoe is good and manages to keep his character likeable. My only complaint about his performance is that I didn't get the feeling that his Copen was hard or bitter enough to really convince me that he had spent his whole life in prison, he was too nice and too considerate. Furlong is better because he has a simpler role, he plays his gradual transformation well. The support cast features a lot of smaller roles, some from familiar support roles playing standard felons such as Trejo, Cassel and La Botz. Outside of these, Rourke and Arnold both stand out playing very different roles that are as effective as they are brief.

Buscemi has a small role but his main contribution here is as director. He directs with a refreshing honesty, he isn't overly stylish and he doesn't over egg dramatic cake in the same way as the maker of Oz will generally have quite a brutal feel to most of the scenes. He could have done with making some of the scenes a bit more dramatic but it works fine as it is.

Overall this is an OK film but never a really good one. The dramatics of a prison story are there to be had but the script doesn't use them that well, eventually falling into a rather clichéd escape plot that only serves to take away from the reality of the film and the characters. It starts well and has promise but Bunker's script seems to get lost past the halfway mark and sadly ends with a climax than only serves to disappoint.

As a fan of Steve Buscemi's underrated 'Trees Lounge', his acting, and of many of his co-stars in this movie, I eagerly anticipated watching 'Animal Factory'. I thought it was going to be a confronting and violent prison story, mainly because of the involvement of Edward Bunker ('Runaway Train', 'Reservoir Dogs'), who adapts his own novel (with the help of scriptwriter John Steppling, who also co-wrote the excellent '52 Pick-Up'). However, the movie was a lot more low key, character driven and less confrontational than I had expected. Even so, it's still very good.

Buscemi himself only has a small acting role in the movie (as does Bunker), the real stars being Willem Dafoe ('Light Sleeper', ) as a savvy long term convict, and Edward Furlong ('Pecker') as the young inmate who becomes his protege. Dafoe and Furlong are supported by an impressive cast of character actors, including Buscemi cronies Seymour Cassel ('Rushmore'), Mark Boone, Jr ('Memento') and the late Rockets Redglare ('Down By Law'), all 'Trees Lounge' veterans, ex-con tough guy Danny Trejo ('Heat'), John Heard ('After Hours'), and impressive cameos from Tom Arnold ('True Lies') as a psycho rapist, and Mickey Rourke ('Barfly') as a flamboyant transvestite. Rourke, one of the finest actors of his generation, will hopefully get his career back on track if the solid work he displays here and his notable cameo in 'The Pledge' is anything to go by.

'Animal Factory' is a first rate effort from Buscemi, who joins Sean Penn and Vincent Gallo as the most promising actors turned directors currently making American movies. More power to him, and I hope his next project makes it to the screen sometime soon. In today's current climate of cinematic mediocrity and childish blockbusters we need more film makers like them with passion, intelligence and integrity.

Over the years there have been made many prison movies,but I dont think many of them really reflect how terrible a prison is.I think this movie shows it in a more realistic way than many other movies.The movie tells us that you got to have connections within the prison to survive and that friends are everything.This movie is the portrait of a young boy who ends up in a prison,and luckily he gets introduced with one of the leaders among the white inmates and therefor has a chance. In the roles you'll find Willem Dafoe (which does a wonderful job in this movie) and Edward Furlong who also is very good.As some other inmates you'll find Danny Trejo who always looks really tough and scary and Mickey Rourke in totally new role that I never thought would work for him.See the movie and find out what I am talking about.

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.