Animal Factory

Plot synopsis:
Ron Decker, a young man convicted for drug possession, is sent to prison where veteran con Earl Copen takes Decker under his wing and introduces him into his own gang. Copen first helps out Decker when three Puerto Ricans attempt to lure him into a cell block to rape him, however Copen sees through their plans and talks to the Puerto Ricans, who quickly abandon interest in Decker.
Over the next few days, Copen helps Decker out by getting him better jobs, food, and even transferring him to his own cell block. Mainly however Copen helps Decker's case and points out that under a new article passed by the legislature, a judge can modify a sentence in the first 90 days if he sees fit, so Copen (who is the assistant to the Captain of the Guards) helps write false reports and gives Decker advice to stay out of trouble, which will make Decker appear as a "very small threat to society". However, after large inmate Buck Rowan attempts to rape Decker in the bathroom, Decker stabs Rowan in a fight involving Copen, paralyzing Rowan. Rowan signs a statement claiming Decker and Copen are responsible and their cells are stripped and they are restricted to them.
Because of the stabbing, Decker's attempt at a modified sentence is denied and his sentence remains five years. Meanwhile, Copen manages to get word out Rowan is "snitching", and an inmate working at the infirmary poisons Rowan's IV with cleaning fluid. The case against Copen and Decker is thrown out as the victim and main witness is dead.
Shortly after their release, Copen tells Decker he plans to escape, and they plot to hide in a garbage truck and avoid being crushed by the compressor by using a bar to stop it. Decker escapes in one truck, Copen however stays behind, unable to jump into the truck after the appearance of one of the prison guards. Decker manages to flee to Costa Rica and Copen stays behind, after stating "This is my prison, after all" and quoting Satan from Paradise Lost by John Milton: "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven."

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
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?
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.
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'.
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.
Although the DVD cover draws attention to another great prison movie (The ShawShank Redemtion), 'Animal Factory' is actually closer in style and content the equally good 'Midnight Express'.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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..
There is no good and bad in this prison just those who will make it and those who won't.The movie follows Edward Furlong; a young drug dealer who is small, skinny and is eyed by every inmate but one (Willem Defoe) as an easy target for rape.
However the film does get slow towards the end and it loses its atmosphere once your safe in the knowledge that Edward Furlongs character is well protected by his new friends.It has to be said though, Mickey Rourke stole the show as a drag queen.
The film focuses on the Defoe character, a long time inmate who "owns this jail", and his relationships with other inmates, prison employees, and especially a new pretty boy convict played by Furlong.
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.
Add to this a rare starring role for Edward Furlong as a middle class boy with the world at his feet who's thrown everything away to become small time drug dealer facing several years inside and you'd think there would be no acting required but ANIMAL FACTORY is a film that never really takes off .
ANIMAL FACTORY (2000) *** Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong, Mickey Rourke, Tom Arnold, Steve Buscemi, John Heard, Danny Trejo, Mark Boone, Jr., Seymour Cassel, Edward Bunker.
Actor Buscemi's sophomore effort behind the camera (he co-stars in a bit role as a prison review committee chairman) proves he is no fluke in capturing a strong narrative (set in a cold, hard prison) by way of a character-driven story based on Bunker's semi-autobiographical novel (which he co-scripted the screenplay with John Steppling) focusing on first-time offender Furlong thrown to the wolves with only wary, all-knowing lifer Dafoe (both equally effectively good) looking for their best interests to survive.Excellent ensemble of some of the finest character actors (including ex-con Trejo who co-produced with Buscemi) working today..
Don't expect any wild gunfights, savage martial arts or bloody massacres here, as Steve Buscemi's second film as a director is a slow and deeply intense drama that completely takes place behind the walls of prison.
We see Danny Trejo, Seymour Cassel, Edward Bunker, Tom Arnold, Mickey Rourke, John Heard and Steve Buscemi himself in small  yet highly memorable  performances.
A young man (Edward Furlong) goes to prison and a tough, older convict (Willem Dafoe) takes him under his wing as a mentor.The film is based on the novel of the same name by Eddie Bunker, who plays the part of Buzzard in the film.
Though Bunker has been involved with many films, he may be best remembered today for playing Mr. Blue in "Reservoir Dogs", not coincidentally co-starring with "Animal Factory" director Steve Buscemi.Bunker, for those who do not know, is not only an accomplished crime writer, but very much the type of hardened criminal he liked to write about.
Bunker had also hand-picked Edward Furlong for the lead, in part for his "androgynous" look."Animal Factory" was filmed at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Steve Buscemi lives up to the promise of his 1996 directorial debut, 'Trees Lounge', with this equally impressive, gritty prison drama: When young, inexperienced Ron Decker (Edward Furlong) is given a harsh sentence for minor drug offences, he is soon taken under the wing of Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe) - a long-time inmate who is feared and respected in equal measures.
There's also good supporting roles from veteran character actors like Seymour Cassel (as a tough but sympathetic prison guard) and John Heard (as Ron's dad), not to mention one Mickey Rourke in a truly memorable cameo as Ron's tranny cell-mate.
The aforementioned 'Shawshank' aside, this feels much closer in tone to Tom Gries's powerful 1972 TV-movie 'The Glass House' which, like Buscemi's film, was filmed in a real prison using real inmates as extras.
Animal Factory (2000) is a good ,dynamic,frank movie about the prison life.The ferocious,keen and efficient Willem Dafoe plays an influential convict.
His deftness is commanding.Willem Dafoe is much sober,and acts temperately as usual;he exploits all the role's valences.Rourke's role is useless and tasteless,extravagant and decorative.It's shameful they waste this man on such pointless parts.Some disgusting ignorants believe this to be one of Rourke's best roles!How crass an ignorance!They know nothing at all,absolutely nothing about Rourke's career in the '80s!This shows only one thing:it betrays their huge ignorance of Rourke's great '80s roles (in Diner (1982),Year of the Dragon (1985),Nine 1/2 Weeks ,A Prayer for the Dying ,Barfly ,Desperate Hours ).His part in Animal Factory (2000) is nothing compared with his performances in A Prayer for the Dying (1987),Francesco (1989) and Nine 1/2 Weeks (1986)!With an intelligent B-movie script,two first-hand actors (Rourke and Dafoe), Furlong at least honorable as a kind of a soft,sullen Delon , Animal Factory (2000) is much better than The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ..
On the whole this film is worth a check for those who are fans of Oz and other prison drama's but it might not be to everyone's liking .But still a very good attempt by Steve Buscemi.ANIMAL FACTORY : 6.5 OUT OF 10FOR NOW THIS IS THE SHADOWMAN WISHING YOU GOOD LUCK AND GOODNIGHT ..
Like his first directorial attempt - Tree's Lounge - Steve Buscemi's second full-length film as a director, Animal Factory, falls just short of leaving a long-lasting impression on the viewer.
There are tons of prison dramas out there; Animal Factory just isn't news Still, for what it is, it's a great film and certainly worth your time.
The story focuses on young inmate Ron Decker (the very talented Edward Furlong, memorable as Edward Norton's younger brother in American History X) and tough guy Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe) and on the relationship forming between them.
The rest of the excellent cast includes Chris Bauer, Danny Trejo, Tom Arnold, an unforgettable Mickey Rourke and Buscemi himself in a small part.A very slow and intimate movie, Animal Factory is not much of a masterpiece but it shows a lot of potential and promise for Steve Buscemi as a director.
Such as Shawshank Redemption, Animal Factory explores the prison life of a young 21 year old boy(Furlong) falling under the wing of an older prison veteran(Defoe)
This film is much less violent than most recent prison flicks, but it has a compelling enough story and is carried largely by Furlong and Defoe, two actors whose movies I've always enjoyed and who drew me to this one.
Only one prisoner could get free.There are a lot of celebrities in this film - Buscemi, Dafoe, Furlong, Trajo, Rourke, etc.
They are looks like real outlaws, particularly Dafoe and Furlong.Mickey Rourke's character in "Animal Factory" is the most original of the rest of his roles.
There he is befriended by an older convict who takes him under his wing and into his gang.Directed by Steve Buscemi and starring Edward Furlong, Willem Dafoe and Seymour Cassel, this movie is a slow-paced drama.
On the additional materials, he mentions that he used some of his actors who had previously been incarcerated to clarify details of life in prison.Edward Furlong, stoic through most of the movie, does break out and have some emotion at precipitous plot points, deals believably with a Tom Arnold cameo and is even able once to play with the others in his scene, in a cell party.
Both Buscemi's are very nice examples of people who are 'on the other side of the wall' from the convicts and Mickey Rourke is an almost sorrowful comic relief.This movie is rated R with good reason, as some younger audiences may find it disturbing in some scenes with violence and drug use.
Edward Furlong puts on a great performance he really fits that role, he is great in this film.I recomend this film to people who like prison movies, it is very realistic and good.10/10.
This proves that Steve Buscemi is equally as good a director as an actor, and with his films you can see Cassavettes as an inspiration,like Trees Lounge this is an indie film and probably not foreveryone, but it doesn't dissapoint, at times it can be dark, but it is prison.
There is a good cast, Edward Furlong as the main character based on Eddie Bunker's( Reservoir Dogs Mr Blue ) exploits as a youngster in and out of prison, see also Straight Time, there is also a good, back to form turn from Mickey Rourke as a transvestite, and Willem Dafoe as a veteran convict, respected by both the inmates and guards.
Detailing the friendship--non-sexual, but carnally tinged--between a new "fish" (Edward Furlong) and the political genius who runs the white side of the prison(Willem Dafoe), ANIMAL FACTORY feels truthful from top tobottom.
Fortunately for moviegoers,  "Animal Factory" is one of the results.I am frankly quite surprised that this film did not go straight into commercial release: based on the novel by Edward Bunker (a real life ex-con), it boasts a star studded cast, excellent screenplay and has a genuine feel to it.
Directed by Steve Buscemi (the "King of Indies") the movie tells the story of Ron, a middle class young man sent to prison for trafficking.
Thankfully, there is a strong supporting cast: Tom Arnold displays a chilling dark side that is anything but funny as a sexually deviant hillbilly who takes a shine to young Ron; Seymour Cassel is obliging as the weary head prison guard who knows his role in the system; and Mickey Rourke, shines as Ron's cellmate, a frightening transvestite who dispenses brutal philosophy (and looks even worse).
I did it because I had faith that Steve Buscemi would be able to make a great film with a cast like Ed Furlong and Willem Dafoe, and even Tom Arnold and Mickey Rourke.
After all I think Steve Buscemi is funny and its always interesting to see how actors do as directors.However, I didn't recognise any of the reviews that I had read; why was everyone so enthousiastic?None of the characters is described in detail, the relationship Earl and Ron is one big questionmark to me, because there is no advantage for Earl in protecting Ron, except that he is risking his reputation.Mickey Rourke is interesting though, but Danny Trejo is getting annoying in his endless role of prison bad guy.
Animal Factory was a good prison movie, not too many cliches, a fine cast, and an involving story.
I must admit --- although Steve Buscemi is both an excellent director and actor, I tuned in to "Animal Factory" on Cinemax tonight to see Mickey Rourke in his first decent film in some time.
Willem Dafoe, Danny Trejo, John Heard, Mickey Rourke, Steve Buscemi, Seymour Cassel, is enough talent for two prison movies, but "Animal Factory" disappoints.
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.
Vastly underrated prison movie with excellent characters, an interesting and sentimental plot, good score, and fast pace.The chemistry between Dafoe and Furlong is convincing and it seems that both actors got along really well.
It's a far cry from such Hollywoodian prison movie as "the whatsisname redemption".If Steve Buscemi shows some influence ,it's the European one.Its depiction of the jail,its love for geometric lines ,its almost documentary side recall Jacques Becker's "le trou" (1960) and Robert Bresson's "un condamné à mort s'est échappé" (1956).It' perhaps more violent,but actually violence is subdued ,dormant,only exploding during very short sequences.His choice of Edward Furlong for the unfortunate young man  is a very good one indeed:his youthful look works wonders in the animal factory.If Spielberg would carry out one of his older plans,that is to say bringing Tin Tin to the screen,he would be a strong contender for the hero.The fact that he belongs to a rich wealthy family -just hear John Heard make the money clatter on the counter towards the end - increases the boy's extra-terrestrial side ;however he's not naive and his impassive eyes can see more the other inmates expect.I must say I had not recognized Mickey Rourke's drag queen.But anyway Rourke's character is a caricature:much more interesting is Willem Dafoe's character;the actor gives one of his best performances in a thankless part.This character is very complex ,an intellectual(?),a  gay(?) (but a hint at Angie Dickinson questions even that),a man in need of love and affection in the purest sense of the term,probably all of that.A character that eludes the audience's perception any time."Animal factory" features an open ending ,which is very rare in prison movies (like in Bresson's 1956 film),and it's a very suspenseful ending which will take your breath away.And Buscemi refuses the easy way out of using a voice over telling us that ...well...A future sleeper..
Animal Factory is a prison set film directed by actor Steve Buscemi and based on a novel and subsequent screenplay by Edward Bunker, a real life ex convict, who played Mr. Brown in Reservoir Dogs.
A veteran prisoner (Willem Dafoe) takes a young new prisoner (Edward Furlong) under his wings.Solid and impressive direction by actor Steve Buscemi.
Veteran prisoner Earl Copeland (a brilliant performance of depth by Willem Dafoe) takes young fish (Furlong) under his wing, and it was good to see these actors together, though really I've never thought much of Furlong's acting.
The time for escape is now and they begin to find a way to make it happen.Actor Steve Buscemi has a small role here on screen but a major one behind the camera as he directed the film.