The Animal Factory (2000)

Since neither terrestrial television nor satellite have deigned to show this movie, the sophomore directing effort from character-actor Steve Buscemi, I finally watched the DVD, although I was not exactly swept away by the tale.  Based on the novel of ex-con Eddie Bunker (Cf: "Reservoir Dogs"), it is a gritty prison story, but no "Shawshank Redemption".  It is anything but a "feel-good" film and follows a young and recently-arrived convict Edward Furlong (what has become of him?), a middle-class drug-dealer who has been sent up as an example.  Before he can become the plaything of the various hard men, he is taken under the wing of lifer Willem Dafoe who more or less runs the joint and who protects him according to his own particular code of honour; some explanation for Dafoe's interest was given, but not really understood by this viewer. Finally an escape is planned but pans out somewhat differently than one has been led to believe.  While watching this movie I kept looking for Mickey Rourke who was credited but who didn't seem to be in evidence.  It wasn't until the end credits that I discovered that he played the cross-dresser with whom Furlong first shared his cell; it certainly fooled me.  This was Rourke's first role at the start of his so-called current comeback and it was a doozy.