Synopsis
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.
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Cast
- Willem DafoeEarl Copen
- Edward FurlongRon Decker
- Danny TrejoVito
- Mark Boone JuniorPaul Adams
- Seymour CasselLt. Seeman
- Mickey RourkeJan the Actress
- Tom ArnoldBuck Rowan
- John HeardJames Decker
- Chris BauerBad Eye
- Rockets RedglareBig Rand
Recommendations
- 80
Village Voice
Tender, poignant, and homoerotically charged, this complicated father-son relationship is brought to life by two brilliant actors and a director who's canny enough to give them all the room they need. - 80
Los Angeles Times
One of the least sensationalistic--and therefore, more unsettlingly plausible--visions of prison life ever transfigured into big-screen drama. - 75
New York Post
A wonderfully acted, strangely low-key prison movie. - 75
Christian Science Monitor
Buscemi's directing blends hard-hitting visual qualities with great emotional energy. - 70
The New York Times
Willem Dafoe steals the picture with his comic timing. - 70
Film.com
It's a guy's film that doesn't just revel in testosterone, though -- it has a more purposeful agenda. - 60
L.A. Weekly
What enrich the film are its layers of detail -- moronic racial protocols, turf wars, pecking orders, men as livestock -- the authenticity of the dialogue and the rich range of characters. - 60
TV Guide Magazine
There's something surprisingly sweet at the center of this grim prison drama.
