Animal Factory

Day 231 - 8/19/09 - Movie #227

BEFORE: Played trivia AGAIN Tues. night, this time just me and 1 teammate, against a diner full of rival teams, on just TV trivia - and we won! Still haven't turned a profit, since the cost of admission, food + beverages was greater than the cash value of the prizes - but oh well, at least we got the satisfaction of winning! And I'm 2 for 2 this week!

THE PLOT: A young man goes to prison and a tough, older convict takes him under his wing as a mentor.

AFTER: This is really about the inner workings of a prison, seen through the eyes of a newbie and a lifer (Willem Dafoe) who shows him around. It's a loving relationship that isn't sexual, probably because the average viewer wouldn't be able to understand that, or pigeonhole the relationship if sex were part of the mix. Dafoe's Earl Copen has been around the jail so long, he knows all the tricks, and he's practically running the place. Edward Furlong's character gets mixed up in trouble despite Copen's advice, and learns how to shiv someone who tries to play grab-ass with him.

Lots of character actors, including Tom Arnold, Steve Buscemi (who also directed), Danny Trejo, Seymour Cassel, and Mickey Rourke, who was almost unrecognizable as a flamboyantly gay cellmate. A fairly brutal but also somewhat charming little film.

RATING: 6 out of 10 razor blades