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Review

Nicely avoiding the usual prison drama clichés, this gritty, often compelling drama is based on the novel by Edward Bunker (Reservoir Dogs). Furlong plays Ron Decker, a sweet-faced young man of privilege who is sentenced to jail on a drug offense. The naïve youngster is befriended by Earl Copen (Dafoe), the powerful con who controls the prison's black market. Caught in a maelstrom of violence, sexual intimidation and corruption, Decker quickly adapts to his surroundings; exchanging innocence for guile, morality for a blind eye. An effective supporting cast includes Rourke's dentally impaired drag queen, and Arnold's sexual predator.