Directed by Steve Buscemi
Based off of a book by Edward Bunker
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong, Danny Trejo, John Heard, Mickey Rourke, Mark Boone Junior, and Tom Arnold
Opening Thoughts: I'll let you all in on a little secret, I love prison films. There is just a sense of raw, grittiness, and beauty to films that use real prisons as their sets. As a result you feel just as much as a prisoner as both the prisoners and guards do. Then there is the characters inside the film. A prison movie allows you to cast character actors to give you a large diverse feeling of the craziness.
All that said I had never heard of Animal Factory until Arrow put the film on their release schedule. Honestly, that kind of shocks me with a cast like Willem Dafoe, Danny Trejo, John Heard, and Mickey Rourke this film should have been on most people's radar when released. So I hope this film can live up to the extraordinary talent cast in the film. Considering the film did less than 50,000 at the box office that leaves an uneast feeling in my stomach, but that doesn't mean this film isn't good.
Plot: Ron Decker (Edward Furlong) has been sentenced to serve 5 years in San Quentin for the possession of marijuana. Despite protest from Decker's lawyer, Decker recieved the maximum sentence because he grew up in a family with everything given to him and as a result knows right from wrong.
With this being Decker's first offense and have never going to prison before, Decker is scared because he is going to have to learn the rules on the fly. One wrong decision by Decker could mean the difference between life and death. So Decker better choose his friends carefully in prison.
One thing is for sure, Decker has come to the attention of Barnboss Earl Copen. Copen is a prisoner that has learned how to manipulate the system to where he controls everything on the prisoners end. Whether Decker survives depends on how much Copen is willing to help him.
Does Decker live or die? You will have to watch for yourself to find out.
Review: I can't for the life of me figure out why this film isn't talked about more. The film has everything going for it. Beautiful cinematography from the overhead shot of Holmesburg Prison to the tight up close shots inside the cells. The tension from those shots made me feel uneasy and glad I am not in prison.
Survival from those rough conditions is what this film is about. It's not about some big major event, but about the little things a prisoner does to have little victories to make it through prison. Whether that be pulling something small over a guard or conning another convict. Try to focus on the big picture you will go insane.
Edward Bunker, the writer, knows this better than most people because he did time in prison. That is what sets this film apart from other prison films in many ways. Bunker may have delivered the most realistic story for prisoners.
He doesn't deliver a large scale film like Shawshank Redemption, but instead delivered a story with many different stories going on at the same time. To show just how chaotic prison can be because at any moment your situation changes.
With changes like that to pull them off convincingly a special cast is needed to pull this type of film off. Danny Trejo did time in prison so he is perfect in his roll. Edward Furlong plays the new prisoner who is cocky, moody, and naive at times, while his acting is a little lacking at times one thing is for sure Furlong looks like a person who would get raped in prison. Mickey Rourke in drag as Decker's cellmate was astonishing. Willem Dafoe I really don't need to talk on his credentials because he loses himself in the roles that he plays to where je could get nominated for best actor as much as Meryl Streep does.
This all leads to a great slice of mouthwatering Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to take in. As a lover of prison films I really couldn't ask for that much more.
Survival from those rough conditions is what this film is about. It's not about some big major event, but about the little things a prisoner does to have little victories to make it through prison. Whether that be pulling something small over a guard or conning another convict. Try to focus on the big picture you will go insane.
Edward Bunker, the writer, knows this better than most people because he did time in prison. That is what sets this film apart from other prison films in many ways. Bunker may have delivered the most realistic story for prisoners.
He doesn't deliver a large scale film like Shawshank Redemption, but instead delivered a story with many different stories going on at the same time. To show just how chaotic prison can be because at any moment your situation changes.
With changes like that to pull them off convincingly a special cast is needed to pull this type of film off. Danny Trejo did time in prison so he is perfect in his roll. Edward Furlong plays the new prisoner who is cocky, moody, and naive at times, while his acting is a little lacking at times one thing is for sure Furlong looks like a person who would get raped in prison. Mickey Rourke in drag as Decker's cellmate was astonishing. Willem Dafoe I really don't need to talk on his credentials because he loses himself in the roles that he plays to where je could get nominated for best actor as much as Meryl Streep does.
This all leads to a great slice of mouthwatering Chicago Deep Dish Pizza to take in. As a lover of prison films I really couldn't ask for that much more.
Closing Thoughts: It is a little premature, but I am going to list Animal Factory as one of the top five prison movies I have ever seen. It's not perfect, but it is the most realistic prison film I have ever seen. If you are looking forna great prison film to watch this is it as long as you are not wanting to see something on the grand scale. 8/10 feels just about right for this gem that you don't want to miss.
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