Good start, but then it gets ruined

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

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. If that sounds like an irresistible team up to make this type of thing work, you're thinking right. And I haven't even mentioned the epic cast yet. It's a scrappy little film that almost takes stage play form, as we watch a plethora of raggedy and very diverse inmates navigate the difficult, tragic and often touching life of incarceration. Edward Furlong (before he ballooned out) plays a young man barely out of his teens, locked away for marijuana possession, essentially a victim of the extremely harsh system they got down there in 'Murica. He's a sitting duck on the inside, but receives kindness and mentorship from veteran con Earl Copen (Willem Dafoe, excellent). It's all done in an almost Robert Altman style way; characters jump in and out, events trundle by in centrifugal motion with little regard for one solid narrative, instead choosing to arbitrarily shift focus from prisoner to prisoner, whilst periodically checking back in on Furlong, who is the closest thing to a main protagonist. The cast is wonderful: Danny Trejo shows up (another guy who has done time in real life), Tom Arnold plays a pervert sicko who preys on Furlong, and Mickey Rourke is an absolute standout as Jan The Actress, a transvestite cell mate with a peppy life lesson or two for young Furlong. Watch for Bunker himself, Seymour Cassel, Mark Boone Jr., Chris Bauer, Buscemi as a parole board member and John Heard as Furlong's father. Bunker no doubt based much of the story on his actual prison experience, and the dedicated authenticity shines through in every aspect of the film. Buscemi is no doubt an actor's director (being one himself), and he lets every player have their moment to shine, while always contributing to the story as a whole as well. Prison films don't get much better than this. Not to be missed.

A veteran prisoner (Willem Dafoe) takes a young new prisoner (Edward Furlong) under his wings.Solid and impressive direction by actor Steve Buscemi. Excellent production and acting by the entire cast.Mickey Rourke is very impressive in a tiny role as a tranvestite prisoner (could have earned him some awards if it was a bigger part and a more advertised movie); And I just now realized that it was actually Tom Arnold in one of the key roles as a prisoner, so that's pretty impressive - I thought the guy looked familiar, but I'd never have guessed it was him.The script could have been stronger, although it's apparently based on an autobiography by actor/writer Eddie Bunker.

This isn't just a violent prison story, though it certainly has that, it really is a story about an innocent's slide into despair. There are moments where humanity shines through. Furlong's acting is powerful and naive and Dafoe's subtle, menacing and compassionate. It is very disturbing at times and unpredictable in its twists and turns. Fortunately a lot of the gang violence is often hinted at and not shown. there are even moments of humour, though rare. It's not too distant from Shawshank in its ambiance, not story, and I found it just as compelling. There are several minor roles, especially the drag queen, that are wonderfully played, poignant and unsettling and Mickey Rourke is top notch. The setting is dirty and ugly, but it is a prison of course. A film with subtle and natural dialogue, and a film with a nice pace and flow.

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.