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.
Review of Animal Factory
