Animal Factory

I liked Animal Factory, not really because it pays homage to Shawshank Redemption, but simply because of how dark and gritty the film is in portraying prison life. Violent, unnerving, shocking at times but still it holds a message that we house these people in prisons with poor quality with the real animals. Young offenders put in with experienced and hardened prisoners who manipulate them.

My only issue was the duration of the film, I kinda get critical of short films especially ones I really enjoy and don't want to finish too quickly. I can't criticise the performances, as its one the strongest suits of the film with both Dafoe and Furlong. However to me it was Wiilem Dafoe who stole the screen for me, as to me he is an amazing actor. In the film, he portrayed a real down to earth man who had years of experience.

All in all Animal Factory is an unknown film, but it more than made up for it in many ways. Had it not gone straight to DVD, and actually had some advertising and screened in cinemas it could have made a tidy profit. If you like your prison dramas, gritty and dark Animal Factory is your kind of thing.

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.

Pay no attention to these other reviews; the people who wrote them don't know what they're talking about: In 1996 I was convicted of armed robbery and sent to prison in Washington state for eight years (of which I did seven)and I'm here to tell you that ANIMAL FACTORY is the real deal; I was a lot like the character played by Edward Furlong and I was lucky enough to meet men like the character played by Wilem Dafoe, guys who didn't want to rape me, guys who didn't want to kill me, guys who acted decently amidst all of the indecency.

Since my release from prison in 2003 I am invariably asked the two big questions when it comes to incarceration in this country: A) did I get raped? and B) is prison really like you see on OZ?

Well, luckily, I didn't get raped and I've never seen OZ but anyone who wants to see what prison is like should get a gander at ANIMAL FACTORY. The entire film drips with authenticity. Within 2 minutes I felt that old queasy feeling in my stomach--exactly as if I were back there myself, all over again.

For those of you out there who might think there is still a bit of rebellious glamour left in going to prison, watch ANIMAL FACTORY and take it from me: being locked up is not cool and its not fun and it is not something that anyone should aspire to.

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.

Whew. What can I say. This was a fascinating film that was very hard to turn away from (even to answer the phone!). Edward Furlong turns in another very solid performance as a too-young-to-be-in-this-type-of-place prisoner and Willem Dafoe was very interesting as his would-be mentor.

Prison films are always tough to make as they tend to lean heavily upon stereotypes (the prisoner who runs the prison, male rape scenes, the violence in the prison yard) and this film is no exception. Buscemi gets away with it by making it all seem so workaday and routine, which in some ways is even more frightening.

Overall I enjoyed this film but I imagine the audience for a stark prison flick is pretty small. Kudos to Buscemi for having the nerve to make it, tho.