出身富家的朗(爱德华 弗朗Edward Furlong)因违反毒品管制而被判入狱服刑十年,因而成为联邦监狱里一干罪犯--变态、重刑犯、强暴犯--的最新猎物;然而幸运的是,对无情的现实毫无招架之力的朗不久后便找到了靠山,俨然掌管整座监狱的地下老大--厄尔柯朋(威利姆 达福Willem Dafoe); 朗和厄尔两人发展出一段情同父子的关系,然而不久后,这段关系却开始潜伏著一股难以言喻的张力… 这部高张力的监狱电影,是改编自前科泛爱德华邦克Edward Bunker的小说原著,除了请来奥斯卡得主威廉达佛主演外,久未现身萤光幕的颓废小生米基 鲁尔克Mickey Rourke亦参与演出;本片是演而优则导的史蒂夫 布斯塞米(Steve Buscemi)第二度直导演筒的作品。Ron, who's young, slight, and privileged, is sentenced to prison on marijuana charges. For whatever reason, he brings out paternal feelings in an 18-year prison veteran, Earl Copan, who takes Ron under his wing. The film explores the nature of that relationship, Ron's part in Earl's gang, and the way Ron deals with aggressive cons intent on assault and rape. There's casual racism, too, in the prisoners and the guards, a strike called by Black prisoners, and the nearly omnipresence of hard drugs. Ron's lawyer is working on getting Ron out quickly, Earl has a shot at parole, and death seems to be waiting in the next cell. Will prison turn Ron into an animal?