Animal Factory

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Animal Factory

R

2000

1h 30m

Drama

Crime

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

35 Reviews

59%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Suburbanite Ron (Edward Furlong) 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 (Willem Dafoe), a veteran inmate who finds meaning in protecting the vulnerable new kid.

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Critics Consensus

Animal Factory is an honest attempt at a humanizing prison drama that stumbles with its performances but Buscemi's ambitious directing makes up for it.

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Stephanie Zacharek

Salon.com

You come away with the sense that you should have come to care (or at least to know) more about its central characters than you do.

Dec 19, 2001

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Amy Taubin

Village Voice

It's the relationship between Willem Dafoe, as Earl, the hard-time veteran, and Edward Furlong, as Ron, the new boy he takes under his wing, that makes the film so compelling.

Aug 17, 2001

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Elvis Mitchell

New York Times

A picture about adapting one's instincts, and Mr. Buscemi's deftness works well in this context.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Tom Arnold deserves uncomfortable kudos as the kind of sexual predator you hear about in prisons but hope you never encounter.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 2, 2020

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C.H. Newell

Father Son Holy Gore

An indictment of how we treat the lives of men deemed guilty and shipped to prison where they're packed in like sardines and forgotten about until their next court date.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 5, 2019

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

The opaque performances offer little in the way of shading.

Rated: 2/4

Jan 17, 2010

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Sage C

This movie was not overlooked, it just does not cut or resemble what people will compare it to. If you're looking for a terrible way for a movie to end, this is so for you! So much potential, crushed unlike the garbage at the end.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/20/24

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B L

Definitely a dude movie, total entertainment!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

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jwcdood

Excellent flick that covers the bases of incarcerated society, ANIMAL FACTORY is very well cast, directed and produced with Willem Dafoe in the role of the main character. For comparisons [but with a considerably more violent theme], FELON is another movie in the same genre that is very similar. ANIMAL FACTORY is an excellent movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/27/23

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David H

Really good film. Flew under the radar in terms of the mainstream as its not talked about at all. Massively overlooked.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/24/23

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Colin M

Interesting American male prison drama.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/23/23

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Jeffrey P

Low budget prison drama with a collection of talent that can make it fly. Was released after Shawshank Redemption so may be overlooked and underrated by some.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/13/23

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Steve Buscemi

Director

Willem Dafoe

Earl Copen

Edward Furlong

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Synopsis

Suburbanite Ron (Edward Furlong) 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 (Willem Dafoe), a veteran inmate who finds meaning in protecting the vulnerable new kid.

Director: Steve Buscemi
Producer: Julie Yorn, Elie Samaha, Steve Buscemi, Andrew Stevens
Screenwriter: Edward Bunker, John Steppling
Production Co: Animal Productions LLC
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Crime
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2017
Runtime: 1h 30m

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