Animal (2005)

A notorious gangster nicknamed "Animal" must reconcile his past in order to make a future for his criminally-minded son.

Director:

David J. Burke

Writers:

David C. Johnson, Ving Rhames (story)

Stars:

Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Chazz Palminteri

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ving Rhames	...	Animal
Terrence Howard	...	Darius Allen
Chazz Palminteri	...	Kassada
Jim Brown	...	Berwell
Beverly Todd	...	Latreese
Faizon Love	...	Double T
Wes Studi	...	Creeper
Paula Jai Parker	...	Reecy
Taraji P. Henson	...	Ramona
César Farrait	...	Roach (as Cessar 'TNT' Farrait)
Modesto Lacen	...	Dinky
Black Child	...	Spyda
Hunter Howard	...	Young Darius
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rafael Alvarez	...	Paul Wilson (as Rafa Alvarez)
Eugenio Cotto	...	Assassin 1 - Berwell (as Eugene Cotto)

Storyline

When the violent gangster James "Animal" Allen is arrested and sent to prison, his teenage son Darius is left with his mother, but she is assassinated and the boy is raised alone on the streets, becoming a criminal. While in the corrupt prison, Animal works for the powerful prisoner Kassada, but when he meets the revolutionary Berwell, his view of life changes. Animal is released on probation and tries to have a straight life, but his past and his fame haunt him, while he sees that Darius is following his path in a criminal life.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | nickname as title | one word title | violence | prison life | 

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Taglines:

His Legacy Must End... For His Son's Life To Begin.

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Genres:

Drama | Action

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language and drug content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson and Paula Jai Parker all appeared together previously in 2005s Hustle & Flow.

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Goofs

When Animal (Ving Rhames) is approached in the prison yard and told to come and meet with Kassada (Chazz Palminteri) he tosses away the wadded paper in his mouth. The next cut shows him at the table with Kassada and it's back in his mouth.

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Quotes

Animal: Who the fuck is Malcom X?

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Connections

Referenced in Yes Man (2008)

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Soundtracks

Vamos Pa'alla
Written and Performed by César Farrait (as Cesar "TNT" Farrait)

User Reviews

Very Good Movie....though with some important factual errors!

Being my first time to watch Rhames in a lead role, I was impressed. Howard and Palminteri were brilliant and Studi, as always, was great!..though not the type of role he usually plays either. Great to see Jim brown after so long and I really liked his portrayal of Berwell. I'd like to see more of him in the future because despite his years, he still has a lot to offer. Listen up Hollywood! On the negative side (for fussy duds like me), we have the factual errors all-too-common in movies which mislead people on points of historical importance. I refer to the Willie Lynch Speech on slavery, which figures prominently in this movie. Berwell tells Animal that the term "lynching" is also attributed to the same author. Not true! This practice is more generally believed to be the invention of Captain William Lynch of Virginia, author of "Lynch's Law". As for Willie's speech, evidence now suggests it was written in the mid-to-late 20th century. Curious, no? Anyway, despite the foregoing, the movie has a good message and the overall acting is way better than good! Definitely a movie worth watching!

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 2007 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Animal

Filming Locations:

Puerto Rico

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Animal Film LLC, First Look Pictures, Konwiser Brothers

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1