Cell 211 (2009) User Reviews (79)

Raw, real, incomparable

[ryokan_wc · 8/10 · 15 November 2011]

This movie likens that of a gemstone- raw, real, unique, crafty and incomparable. I watched this movie, my first Spanish movie in cinema, with English subtitles and frankly, i was impressed. Though now the only regret i have is not mastering the language before the show. If only i could pay more attention to the movie instead of the translated words running at the bottom.

This is a story of a prison guard, Juan Oliver (played by Alberto A) who decided to go to work one day before he actually begins to 'make an impression'. What awaits him later is a riot, which forced him to be locked in Cell 211 after suffering an injury to his head. He knows the only way to live is to be one of them, and so he acted as an inmate. But until when can he keep it to himself? He has to make peace with the rest of the inmates and gain the trust of their 'leader' Malamadre (played by Luis Tosar) as they take hostage of high profile, terrorist-prisoners. He later learns an ugly news of his pregnant wife outside prison and his life is never the same again.

This movie plays around the humanity of man and how corruption and distrust can affect a man's freedom and ultimately, his life. There were moments in the show. Obviously, the prison riot. The police riot scene later was well delivered straight to its core, which led to the falling domino pieces in the movie. The turning point of Juan's character was when he received the news about his wife. Fine acting by all the cast with amazing characterization, awesome cinematography and directing at every scene!

The development of the plot is great, at points where it creates suspense left me on the edge of my seat. The blossoming relationship between Juan and Malamadre is well crafted, and believable- that i don't see in many other movies these days. It felt like Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Walking out the cinema, i was left to ponder at many questions with respect to the show. Why was Juan left in Cell 211 at the first place? As if a curse is cast to the cell. It will be interesting to watch the Hollywood remake of the movie in two years time and i hope it does remain to its authenticity. Definitely award-worthy, it accentuates prison drama at its best- pulling heartstrings despite its violence and vulgar language.

My cinematic experience has truly broadened. And i am sure yours will too after watching this movie.

Violent and riveting prison movie with outstanding performances and fine direction

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 October 2010]

Tense and intriguing Spanish thriller mostly located into a prison with exception some flashbacks about private life of protagonist (Alberto Ammann) along with his wife (Marta Etura) . Good film that shows realism and truth without falling into the clichés of the genre . This powerful and very well directed prison movie contains thought-provoking drama , thrills , chills , suspenseful and lots of violence . With an excellent cast , including sensational acting from the magnificent starring Alberto Ammann as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal , suffering an emotional brutalization who causes an explosion of violence and of course a perfect Luis Tosar who steals the show as tough and violent Malamadre . The tale of two men on different sides of a prison riot , the prisoner nicknamed Malamadre (Luis Tosar) leading the rebellion and the young warden caught in the revolt named Juan Oliver (Ammann), who poses as an inmate in a desperate attempt to survive the violent events . The first day when Juan begins working on his new job as a prison warden , is caught in a prison riot . He then decides to impersonate another prisoner to save his life and to end the revolt . Later on , terrible deeds happen and fury and revenge emerge . As Juan trapped in a world that does not belong and forgotten his fateful fate , erupts into an explosion of self-defensive violence showed on some breathtaking scenes .

This exciting picture results to be an intense thriller that packs tension , straightforward intrigue , sober drama, and lots of violence . The film contains thrills and chills and is quite entertaining because being a laborious and intriguing suspense tale full of twists and turns . In the picture there are violence , drama , tension and a little bit of action in the final confrontation . The story contains a statement about inmate's mistreating , despair , betrayal and a strong criticism of the ruling class, unable to control a dangerous situation . Most part of the movie takes place into four walls of the jail involving and executing the preparatives of strict conditions demanded by the inmates . Highlighting the newcomer actor Alberto Ammann , giving a lesson in how he is able to withstand the weight of the flick and stand up to a great actor like Luis Tosar , making a memorable work as dreaded Malamadre , without falling into the prison movie clichés . Furthermore , an excellent support cast as the nasty informer Carlos Bardem (Juan Bardem's brother) and Antonio Resines as sadist and corrupt warden who uses unthinkable brutality . This is a perfectly realized and superbly crafted film .

Interesting and thrilling screenplay by Jorge Guerricaechevarria (Eloy De Iglesia's usual screenwriter) though full of offensive stereotypes and not faithful to deeds . Appropriate cinematography by Carlos Gusi (Torrente, Box 507) who photographs splendidly the cold interiors from Zamora prison . Adequate and atmospheric musical score by Roque Baños (Fragiles, Machinist, Sexy beast, 800 bullets). The motion picture was stunningly directed by Daniel Monzon , a former cinema reviewer , he undertakes a skill and fascinating filmmaking with some sensationalist touch though is also intensely manipulative against prison guards ; this is his main big success . He previously directed fantasy (Heart of warrior) , comedy (Biggest robbery never told) and suspense (The Kovak box). Rating : Good , better than average. The film will appeal to prison genre buffs and Luis Tosar fans.

Great Spanish Jail Thriller

[Imdbidia · 7/10 · 14 February 2011]

A Spanish thriller based on the eponymous novel by Francisco Pérez Gandul.

Cell 211 tells the story of a riot inside a dangerous ward, just when a new prison officer is having his introductory visit to the same. By chance, he sees himself locked in with the rioters and, to survive, he assumes, a new identity as a prisoner.

Although the story is not especially original, the characters and the script are very good, the situation is completely believable within the Spanish social and jail context, and the end is not as predictable as you might expect. Moreover, the movie is unpretentious and fresh, which makes it even more enjoyable.

The acting is very good by all the cast, but especially by Luis Tosar as Malamadre, by Alberto Ammann as Juan Oliveras, and Antonio Resines as Prison officer Utrilla.

A very entertaining Spanish thriller with very good acting, that won 8 Goyas (Spanish Oscars) in 2009.

Brilliant story about friendship, corruption, and codes that are more valuable and important than labels and uniforms.

[almafuerte-1 · 17 January 2010]

Guerricaechevarria does it again, writing a brutal story of loyalty, friendship and guts.

The acting is great, well directed and well filmed. The characters are extremely real and believable.

In the end, everyone shows it's real face. Ethics and Character are put in a first plane, leaving uniforms, social class, education and every possible label behind. For some, it's every man for itself, and for others, it's justice or death.

This movie is extremely violent but not at a physical level, and delivers pure emotions throughout it's whole plot. It'll keep you at the edge of your seat for two hours, and leave you thinking about it for days.

Great movie!

[Paspro · 9/10 · 19 April 2010]

This is a great movie mainly for two reasons:

1. The script is not a typical Hollywood storyline. It's very realistic and powerful.

2. The performances of all actors are superb. In contrast to Hollywood movies, the actors in this movie are not models who decided to move to the film business but real actors.

Fortunately, there are still cinema people who do not see movies as commercial products for sale with the purpose of bringing enormous profit to the producers but rather works of art. There is still hope for cinema.

Unpredictable and Intense Prison Thriller

[mike_21 · 10/10 · 6 April 2010]

I believe there is a prison sub-genre of movies. This is the best I have seen in this sub-genre and is very close to the French "Un Prophete".

The action starts immediately and the characters are build through out the movie. There are a few flashbacks, just to cool off the action momentarily. Luis Tosar as the leading prisoner is just amazing, his voice is so unique. This thriller is so intense, but without a sea of blood or extremely violent scenes, just amazing dialogs, acting and especially plot. The prisoners are not presented as bodybuilders full of tattoos, but exactly as they are in real life.

Everything is happening so fast, just as needed to trap your eyes and mind, like only a handful Hollywood films. Only few scenes out of the jail, just to add to the intrigue and last a couple of minutes each.

Finally I want to write about unpredictability, which is my first concern when I watch modern cinema: no actions or dialogs can be predicted, so different with the typical Hollywood scheme. Carlos Bardem pretends that he is an inmate; one can say that he will be discovered at the very end; but even so, this happens so suddenly and at a moment that it doesn't make any difference.

10 out of 10 and highly recommended.

Good flick

[RandomViewer · 7/10 · 14 January 2012]

Good movie, well worth seeing.

Great idea for a movie, apparently the Yanks are going to remake it.

I think that will be good too, if they polish this movie up well, it will be even better.

New scariest movie prison dude ever in the halfwit enforcer.

Fair bit of action, pretty tense at times, even the wife or girlfriend will enjoy it as it's very easy to follow, even with the subtitles.

Not for kids, but there is nothing in here teenagers haven't seen before.

Got to fill in some more lines ffs. Is that enough?

"Straight to the bone"

[851222 · 9/10 · 15 March 2010]

Greetings from Lithuania.

So so. It's been a long time, when i last time saw a film about prisons. Maybe it was "The Shawshank Redemption", i truly can't remember. I think, there isn't much films these days about "true" prison life (i still didn't saw "Un prophète"). Now, the thing i want to say is that i can't remember any other "prison" movie, except "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Midnight Express",but now, i'll always remember "Celda 211" (Cell 211-international title). This film goes "straight to the bone". Really great cinematography, excellent job by director (two thumbs up to Daniel Monzón), unbelievable acting - still can't believe that these guys aren't real prisoners. This film has it all. The only reason i saw this film, is that i watched "Agora", another great film from Spain, and was really surprised, when i heard, that "Agora" was overwhelmed at Goya Awards by some "prison drama". Now i can say, that "Celda 211" is the best film from Europe in long time - and i don't say this very often.

Go and watch this film, You won't be regretting.

Gran película and bravo to Spain!

good but far fetched

[vailsy · 6/10 · 21 October 2012]

This film had me hooked right up to the point where Juan Oliver takes the walkie talkie radio to make contact with the outside.. there was no gain for him to take that risk at that early stage and letting things take their natural course would have been the more realistic alternative

Silly things like this often need to happen in movies to make them exciting but I feel that the story could have been written more intelligently instead.. there was a lot to work with at this point including the ETA hostages who never really drove the story and felt more like a side plot

Then the ex prison guard donning the old uniform and the pregnant wife getting beaten to death outside etc, and the believability factor really started to disappear

Saved by some very good central performances, this movie could have been better

Sheer Perfection.

[davidtraversa-1 · 10/10 · 16 June 2011]

Simply a masterpiece. The script solid as a rock, no fissures in it no matter from which side one looks at it. The actors as good as to make to seem incredible that the acting profession has reached such superb levels of artistry.

When one is watching this film, from the very first scene --almost unbearable to watch-- one is caught completely in it and from then on, one is on a ride at the edge of the seat, holding one's breath till the very end.

I was dumbfounded at each scene. How could they have obtained such impeccable choreography with that enormous amount of actors (the whole prison population) that are on screen almost in every scene like the Chorus in an opera?

The prison riot and the one outside of the prison walls, with the relatives of the prisoners and the police force, seem to have been taken from a real newsreel, not a staging done with actors, but then, every single scene seems taken from a documentary, so perfect is the acting, the direction, the editing. Sound track, lighting, etc. perfect. Impossible to find fault with this movie. A jewel.

Excellent and fiercely tense prison film

[Corpus_Vile · 9/10 · 18 July 2011]

Concerning a rookie guard who must pose as a prisoner once a full scale riot breaks out, Cell 211 is an absolute gem.

Fiercely tense with a cracking pace, an edgy sense of urgency and some ugly scenes of brutality, it's also got some great and believable performances as well as some rather poignant scenes, as bonds are made between prisoners and our protagonist gets to see things from their perspective.

Yet the last thing Cell 211 is is generic. It has some refreshingly genuine left field unexpected twists and developments that keep you pretty much hooked, from its attention grabbing opening scene to its blistering conclusion. It also does a great job of keeping you in suspense as to whether or not our protagonist will be discovered, with the viewer left under no illusions what will happen to him if he is.

It's also got some very decent production values and mercifully refrains from that awful jump cut editing during the more chaotic prison scenes.

But best of all is its sheer unpredictability as trust me- after the hour mark, you really won't be sure how things are gonna turn out and will be hooked all the more.

Overall a great film and highly highly recommended. See it now, you'll be glad you did. 9/10, Sheer class from Spain.

A decent prison movie

[BvH_NL · 6/10 · 5 June 2013]

Cell 211 is a movie about a soon to be prison guard named Juan who becomes trapped inside a prison when a riot breaks out. He lies about his real identity and soon becomes best friends with the prisons tough guy.

The movie is full with clichés and is often too far fetched. Juan seems to know everything and says all the right things at the right time, which becomes really annoying at one point. His girlfriend is pregnant (extra drama), and her parts in the movie are just horrible. Why the F does a pregnant girl attend a demonstration? And of course she gets hit, and of course it's one of the guards that beats her and of course this gets taped with his face clearly shown, and of course one of the prisoners gets this video on a mobile phone and shows this to Juan. I mean jeez...

I could go on, there are many other situation which are so bad, so I was really surprised to see that this movie got a 7,6 rating (at the time of writing this). Oke it's not all bad, Juan's acting was pretty good and some parts were really suspenseful. I liked the first part were it was dubious if the prisoners would believe Juan's story - which was a turning point in the movie.

Although I like prison movies, this is a very forgettable one and I would not recommend it to my friends. Too bad, I went in with high expectations (maybe this was the problem).

Hard to believe, tricky, full of potholes, yet excellently shot

[flrsgmz · 4/10 · 24 October 2010]

I know films are not supposed to mirror reality, just build one in which you can spend 90 minutes believing a story. Still I find completely impossible to follow this one to the end without laughing at his crude script tricks, absurd subplots and unbelievable characters. It is not that it doesn't mate with the Spanish reality, it doesn't even follow the logic it sets at the beginning, which makes it unbelievable. I would even dare to say it's a personal trait of its scriptwriter, as it happens in most of his films. The main character is an evil man who can lead a prison revolt, yet is incapable of following trough or make anything of the traitor that is boycotting him. Then he dies, shot in his back in the final 10 minutes so that we can sympathize with him. All the rest of the characters are simplistic, one dimensional, exist only when the writer needs them, then disappear without any reason. I can't really understand why it has been so successful considering its merits, an i would attribute that to the efficient work of its director, who keeps the roller coaster ride at a good pace and specially, to the brilliant work of the two protagonists, whose charisma makes up for all the failings of their characters.

Spectacular - One of the Best Films about Prison

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 27 September 2010]

The family man Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann) leaves his beloved pregnant wife Elena (Marta Etura) at home to visit the prison where he will start working on the next day as prison guard to make a good impression. During his tour with the guards Armando Nieto (Fernando Soto) and his partner, a stone falls on his head and he faints. The two guards carry him to the empty cell 211, but out of the blue, there is a riot led by the dangerous Malamadre (Luis Tosar) and Juan is left behind by the two guards. When Juan awakes, he pretends to be a prisoner to survive and is forced to meet Malamadre. The leader Malamadre uses three political inmates from ETA as hostages to negotiate with the authorities and Juan helps him to write the terms of the negotiation. Meanwhile Elena finds that there is a rebellion in the prison and heads to the spot trying to get information about Juan. When the situation outside the prison is out of control, the SWAT and violent chief of the guards José Utrilla (Antonio Resines) beat the crowd and Elena is wounded by him. When Juan discovers what had happened with his wife, he becomes closer to Malamadre and changes his behavior taking the side of the inmates.

Movies about prison are usually engaging, but "Celda 211" is spectacular and one of the best films about prison. The dramatic screenplay is realistic, with a story of friendship and pain using the background of the environment of a prison and ETA in Spain, and the tight direction is supported by top-notch performances. The unknown actress Marta Etura is so gorgeous and sweet that increases the impact of her incident. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Cela 211" ("Cell 211")

Exactly what i was expecting, only to have the rug pulled from under my feet. Very good.

[axlrhodes · 8/10 · 22 June 2012]

Cell 211 is an interesting prison drama with some strong performances and plenty of tense moments. The story centers around Jaun, a prison guard visiting his new place of employment who is unfortunate enough to find himself caught in the middle of a prison riot. An unfortunate turn of events leads to Juan being locked inside the jail with the inmates. He quickly realises it's adapt or die, and assumes the identity of a prisoner to ensure his own survival. The film has some very good performances and like many gritty prison dramas, come excessive violence that'll have you wincing away. The early themes of the film revolve around loyalty and earning respect, bit deeper into the film it becomes more about survival. Juan is put into situations where it appears no-one is on his side and taking matters into his own hands seems to be the only way out. There were times during the film when i thought i could predict exactly how Cell 211 was going to play out. Having seen my share of prison themed dramas over the years, it's all to easy to see where a film might lead in the final third. I'm happy to say that Cell 211 set itself up in what i thought was a predictable way, but that in the end, and to it's credit, i was surprised by how it played out. A strong film with commanding performances. 8/10

Punch in the stomach

[capsh · 7/10 · 25 April 2010]

I like it. Though hard to digest because of the absurd situation that ends up in almost a Kafka situation. Almost too absurd to be true..but in the end the only difference between fantasy and reality is that fantasy has to be logic. And this one lacks of logic. The pregnant woman that goes in the middle of the demonstration in front of the prison, the unexperienced policeman that cheats on the though guy, the end of the movie in which the police enters in the prison though it satisfied all of the request..I don't know... Anyway, I liked the European taste it gives. The prison from Zamora is different from all of the prisons you have seen in the American movies. A tough sense of reality.

Enthralling, a must watch for everyone

[varun_120 · 9/10 · 6 September 2011]

This movie is one of the best prison movies I've ever seen. It starts with a chaos in prison but as the story unveils and unfolds it becomes more and more compelling. Throughout the movie, there is an atmosphere of tension and that tension has been kept till the end.

You are kept on the edge continuously. There is a feeling that something's going to happen at every moment and the filmmaker have been successful in making a good movie.

Whenever I view a movie, I always try to learn something out of it. This movie helps you learn a lot about the very human nature, the insecurities and the desperate measures every sane (non-criminal) person can resort to in tough circumstances.

I am a huge fan of Spanish horror movies. Their horror movies are very intelligent. But after seeing this movie I've become fan of not only Spanish horror but the overall Spanish movies. This movie is a must watch for Prison movie lovers, but I can assure you that this film will be liked even by non prison movie lovers.

Not bad, but I wasn't quite convinced

[el_monty_BCN · 6/10 · 24 January 2010]

"Celda 211" is very well paced and directed by Monzón, and Luis Tosar gives one of the best performances of his already impressive career; but other actors do not fare quite as well (Antonio Resines, for example, is clearly miscast in a role that demanded someone much more brutal and unsympathetic), and, more importantly, at certain points the story hinges on increasingly implausible turns of events in order to move the plot forward, which in the end left me with a feeling of skepticism and detachment. I suppose they are the kinds of things that work on the written page (the film is based on a novel), but just don't translate well to the realism and immediacy of the screen. Not quite as good as I was hoping then, though it still stands out among Spanish filmic output.

A prison film with a twist... And powerful

[BeneCumb · 8/10 · 6 February 2013]

Prison films have been made in several countries and there are basically 2 kinds of them: heroic actions usually organised by innocently sentenced, and depressive gloominess and violence among the prisoners (often gang- related). In this Spanish highly acclaimed film, the two dramatic (although of different volume) triggering events occur at the same time: the to-be guard Juan is put into a cell, and the managerial inmate Malamadre gets loose and starts a huge riot inside the prison. The events followed are intense, dramatic, with twists and turns and mostly unpredictable - the ending included. The cast is evenly strong as well, all main actors got a Goya nomination and 3 of them won (Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Marta Etura); the latter is virtually the only female visible apart (= not in the crowd).

Probably for men only, but a catchy experience.

Well acted, well made, shame about the plot holes

[mformoviesandmore · 7/10 · 4 February 2013]

Several other reviews have covered it well.

The acting is good. The camera-work is very good and takes you in to the prison and makes you feel that you are seeing things from a prisoner's eye view.

The actors are generally a little too nice and smooth to be mistaken for real hardened criminals, but that's forgivable for a modest movie that needs people who can act.

The real problem is the plot holes, Sometimes things happened that made me what to scream out "No it wouldn't be like that". The problem for me is that by halfway through I had lost connection with the movie and found myself watching it just out of general interest; I no longer believed in what was happening.

But I still give it high marks for general entertainment. Hopefully those involved will make something better next time.

Jail time

[jotix100 · 8/10 · 19 January 2012]

Juan Oliver is a decent man. Having just found a job as a prison guard, he wants to inspect the place where he is to begin working a day before he is to report for work. Juan and his pregnant wife, Elena, are expecting a baby, something both are looking forward to. As Juan is being shown an area of the jail, a loose piece of construction falls on his head. The two guards showing him around are startled as a riot sounding bell is rung. They cannot leave the injured fellow worker lying on the floor. Knowing cell number 211 is empty, they decide to take Juan there while they go for help.

That is the basic premise of this Spanish award winning film we recently watched on a DVD format. The story of an innocent bystander landing among hard core criminals is something no one has to experience. Juan, who has been given the basic training realizes he must act quickly if he is to survive. Throwing away his belongings that might incriminate him is a must, even down to minimal details as no shoe laces or his ring.

What follows is a prison drama where Juan gets caught, trying to pass as another inmate with mixed results. Malamadre, the leader of the prisoners is not at all convinced of Juan's story, but he sees in Juan a good ally who always makes sensible decisions as to how to act with their demands. Juan, in turn, sees what prisoners must endure in that close environment where men lose their dignity.

Directed by Daniel Monzon, the film offers relentless action as the rioters demand to be recognized, a long losing battle make the men confront the cruel authorities enforcing the prison rules. The screenplay was based on a novel by Francisco Perez Gandul, with a screen adaptation by Mr. Monzon and Jorge Guerricaechevarria. The action never decreases as it builds momentum to the unexpected climax when all hell breaks loose.

Luis Tosar gives one of his best performances as Malamadre. His criminal is a muscular man who has spent most of his life inside. Opposite him is Alberto Ammann, an Argentine actor who is a revelation to us, never having seen him acting before. They are supported by a good group of actors that lend credibility to the story.

This is not a film for the fainthearted viewers. The violent nature of the rioting that takes place is sometimes too much to watch.

Not even a B movie....very underwhelming...avoid

[stepvest · 1/10 · 9 July 2017]

I do not get such high praise......Spanish thrillers are generally my favorite even if the production values are underwhelming--they still leave well-resourced but corporate-sequel dependent Hollywood in dust. Spanish directors are masters in what I think of as "onion" thrillers. It is a pleasure when they get it right and each peeling of the onion layer sets up a new playing field.a new stage .where the advantages and disadvantages for each character shift. .And one is constantly wondering about the implications and immerses in the ride. see .....for example the superb recent classics come to mind such as "the hidden face" or "the invisible guest".

Unfortunately this movie is very predictable, sub-B grade movie that actually borders on tragedy/comedy (unintentionally of course). A guy on first day of his job as a cop ends up in the jail riot and to save himself has to hide his identity...the rest is about how he builds alliances, creates tension, and desperately fights to survive. I will not reveal the ending but it feels pointless in the end.....what was it all for???? In one unbelievable scene --no one from the prison guard's office or SWAT team's office can tell the pregnant wife to stay at home not get into rioting crowd??/ how is this possible in the age of cell phones???In contrast, the criminals are actually shown as a more real guys--harmlessly rowdy, but with rational demands -In one scene they actually scold the prison administrators and the government officials for being "rough" on rioting crowd--- and --the leader is shown as noble, sensitive, and generous ? His empathy for the "cop turned inmate" during a tragedy is more sincere than the outside colleagues and his bosses. But even so in some key scenes he is inconsistently gullible and even weak. . while the guards and the prison guard's colleagues are either idiots, ruthless, untrustworthy, or just plain incompetent. They even carry "guilt" expression on their faces as if they are the real villains. all the time. Avoid.

Everybody in the whole cell block was dancing to the jailhouse rock!

[Coventry · 8/10 · 1 May 2010]

You may always wake me up to go and watch a Spanish thriller. I don't know, but there's something about their style which makes the thrillers much more grim, realistic and unsettling. Two terrific recent examples are "King of the Hill" and "Backwoods". Although neither of them features a very original basic concept, they are almost genuine throwbacks to the era of 70's exploitation film-making, what with their raw atmospheres and massive amounts of uncompromising violence. This was pretty much what I expected from "Cell 211" as well, but this brand new Spanish prison thriller even features a compelling and highly intellectual script with a handful of ingenious ideas and unpredictable plot twists. This is a politically engaged and harshly satirical drama that simultaneously critics the prison system, government and economic recession in Spain. In order to make a good impression at his new job as a prison warden, Juan Oliver visits the facility on the day before he's supposed to start, to get a tour and introduce himself to his new colleagues. Wrong time and place, as Juan becomes injured when a piece of wall comes tumbling down the ramshackle building. His soon-to-be colleagues put him to rest in the empty cell 211, but before the can return with medical support, there's the outbreak of a severe prison riot. The uprising, initiated & led by the charismatic and fierce Malamadre (who has his name tattooed in the back of his neck), is aimed at the media in order to make the malpractices within the prison walls public and all convicts entrenched themselves in the cell block where they keep the heaviest cases. Malamadra knows how to grab the media's attention and cause political nervousness, as he has three Basque terrorists hostage and threatens to kill them. Juan awakens amidst the mad-raving convicts with his anonymity as his sole advantage. He pretends to be a new inmate arrival, sentenced for murder in the first degree, and wins the sympathy of Malamadre. Meanwhile, outside the prison, Juan's pregnant wife heard the news reports and anxiously hurries to the prison. "Cell 211" mostly benefices from its authentic claustrophobic ambiance, marvelously detailed character drawings and contemporary accurate social statements. The convicted criminals perhaps come across as nihilistic scum, but in fact they run a well-structured and respectably effective little organization and their goals are actually even modest and understandable. Especially Malamadre, the seemingly brute and feared leader, is really a rational and "likable" character in comparison to some of the prison superiors and sadist wardens. "Cell 211" remains suspenseful and involving from the first minute until the very last, thanks to a couple of totally unexpected and truly shocking surprise twists that haunt your thoughts even long after leaving the cinema. Daniel Monzon ("The Kovak Box") assures a solid direction and the performances of the entire cast are terrific. Some performances are even close to phenomenal, like Luis Tosar's portrayal of Malamadre and Antonio Resines' unthankful role as the veteran guard Utrilla. Highly recommended and definitely worthy of all the awards that it won already in its home country!

very good!

[komvlad09 · 9/10 · 4 August 2011]

I was just looking for a good thrilling film to watch and I chose Cell 211 among others that appeared in a list. And I wasn't mistaken: this film is what really thriller should be, it keeps in suspense throughout viewing. Excellent actors play and crew's work cannot be overlooked. Original plot and some Spanish spirit spices up this movie and makes you look at a screen expecting what would occur in the next frame. IMHO, this film is not typical jail-film shooted before (at least I did not see one) and thus it is worth watching for everybody. It is a very good variant of a pastime, you will not regret :-) Also, As I read somewhere, a American version of Cell211 is going to be shooted.. So... IMHO: I am sure now that American version will not gain as much pluses, rating and positive reviews. Hope I am mistaken.. Good luck! :-) Happy viewing!

Pulsating prison drama

[adamonIMDb · 7/10 · 22 November 2016]

'Cell 211' or 'Celda 211' as it was originally titled is one of the best prison based movies I have seen. This is a very well made film that does a great job at building tension and keeping the viewer absorbed through new developments and twists.

The film will keep you guessing and wondering what the inmates and Juan Oliver, the man stuck in the middle of it all, will do next. The film moves at a frantic pace and I struggle to recall a movie with such relentless tension and drama.

Overall, a very well made prison film that does a great job at keeping the viewer absorbed.