Suburbanite Ron is spoiled, young and not overly worried about the marijuana charges leveled against him. But, after being made out to be a drug dealer, he faces a five-year jail sentence in San Quentin State Prison. Physically frail and unaccustomed to his rough surroundings, Ron is primed to fall victim to sexual predators and bullying guards – that is, until he's befriended by Earl, a veteran inmate who finds meaning in protecting the vulnerable new kid.
22 Nov Animal Factory (2000)
Realistic Shmealistic
Somewhere in the movie business there really are people who think that the more real a film is, the better. And I mean literally real. We’re not talking here about “Godfather” being the first mafia movie made by Italians, but a prison movie being made by cons whose only goal is to show what it is like.
Well, that’s not enough for me. In order to be real, you have to be false in very specific ways so that the impression is of reality or better, the effect of the impression is the same without the impression resembling the reality at all. And that’s only if the reality is something worth knowing about.
The DVD of this film contains the most puerile, vacuous commentary that I have experienced — even more vacuous than hearing airhead Milla talk about “Resident Evil.” Basically, these are cons talking about “yeah, the joint is JUST like dat.”
This is placed in the hands of two actors of the old school, actors who think only about acting and not the grander plan. They have been effective in intelligent and powerful projects. But here all they can do is go for the short drama, the actorly effects.
Posted in 2004
Ted’s Evaluation — 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
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