A young man (Edward Furlong) goes to prison and a tough, older convict (Willem Dafoe) takes him under his wing as a mentor.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Eddie Bunker, who plays the part of Buzzard in the film. The novel was written intentionally for the purpose of becoming a film, and anyone who has read the book will notice a large part of the dialogue is used word-for-word. Though Bunker has been involved with many films, he may be best remembered today for playing Mr. Blue in "Reservoir Dogs", not coincidentally co-starring with "Animal Factory" director Steve Buscemi.
Bunker, for those who do not know, is not only an accomplished crime writer, but very much the type of hardened criminal he liked to write about. He had been involved in bank robbery, drug dealing, extortion and more, so he knew what he was doing.
The book was adapted to film by Bunker and his friend and co-producer Danny Trejo. They had both worked with Steve Buscemi before (Trejo was in "Con Air") and Bunker liked Buscemi's film "Trees Lounge" (1996), so he was actually their first choice. He, of course, agreed. Bunker had also hand-picked Edward Furlong for the lead, in part for his "androgynous" look.
"Animal Factory" was filmed at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Filming was completed in 30 days, two days longer than originally scheduled. Buscemi employed hundreds of prisoners from Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the prison that replaced Holmesburg Prison in 1995.
This is a great standout performance for Danny Trejo; interestingly, Trejo is the godfather of Bunker's son, and the two first met at San Quentin State Prison; the duo has been working on movies together since "Runaway Train" (1985). On the flip side of the coin, Tom Arnold is so awful in his line delivery and his moments ruin an otherwise excellent film.
The Arrow Video Blu-ray includes a 20-minute conversation with Barry Forshaw, author of "American Noir", talking about who Eddie Bunker was. In Forshaw's opinion, Bunker was the all-time greatest American prison writer, and he relishes in speaking about the author. Interestingly, he sees "Factory" as a version of the British series "Porridge" (1974-77), which is obviously coincidental. An audio commentary with Bunker and Trejo is ported over fro man earlier release. Beginning to end, this disc is a celebration of Edward Bunker, a it should be.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Eddie Bunker, who plays the part of Buzzard in the film. The novel was written intentionally for the purpose of becoming a film, and anyone who has read the book will notice a large part of the dialogue is used word-for-word. Though Bunker has been involved with many films, he may be best remembered today for playing Mr. Blue in "Reservoir Dogs", not coincidentally co-starring with "Animal Factory" director Steve Buscemi.
Bunker, for those who do not know, is not only an accomplished crime writer, but very much the type of hardened criminal he liked to write about. He had been involved in bank robbery, drug dealing, extortion and more, so he knew what he was doing.
The book was adapted to film by Bunker and his friend and co-producer Danny Trejo. They had both worked with Steve Buscemi before (Trejo was in "Con Air") and Bunker liked Buscemi's film "Trees Lounge" (1996), so he was actually their first choice. He, of course, agreed. Bunker had also hand-picked Edward Furlong for the lead, in part for his "androgynous" look.
"Animal Factory" was filmed at Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Filming was completed in 30 days, two days longer than originally scheduled. Buscemi employed hundreds of prisoners from Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility, the prison that replaced Holmesburg Prison in 1995.
This is a great standout performance for Danny Trejo; interestingly, Trejo is the godfather of Bunker's son, and the two first met at San Quentin State Prison; the duo has been working on movies together since "Runaway Train" (1985). On the flip side of the coin, Tom Arnold is so awful in his line delivery and his moments ruin an otherwise excellent film.
The Arrow Video Blu-ray includes a 20-minute conversation with Barry Forshaw, author of "American Noir", talking about who Eddie Bunker was. In Forshaw's opinion, Bunker was the all-time greatest American prison writer, and he relishes in speaking about the author. Interestingly, he sees "Factory" as a version of the British series "Porridge" (1974-77), which is obviously coincidental. An audio commentary with Bunker and Trejo is ported over fro man earlier release. Beginning to end, this disc is a celebration of Edward Bunker, a it should be.