Director: Daniel Monzón
Novel: Francisco Pérez Gandul
Screenplay: Jorge Guerricaechevarría, Daniel Monzón
Producers: Álvaro Augustín, Borja Pena, Emma Lustres Gómez, Juan Gordon
Starring: Carlos Bardem, Luis Tosar , Alberto Ammann, Marta Etura, Antonio Resines
Country of Origin: Spain
MPAA Rating: NR
Running time: 110 min.

(4.5/5)

Few films have the wherewithal to bring its audience into a pulse pounding situation in the opening minutes of a movie and then manage to keep that gripping intensity going full throttle throughout the entire running time of the picture without either going off the rails, so to speak, or becoming tedious or eye-rollingly obvious. Cell 211 has no problem with it and in fact, excels at it. Never once holding back any punches and keeping a relatively simple plot kicking and screaming with minor complications yet avoiding confusion while keeping the chaos is what makes Cell 211 one of the most excellently constructed action/thrillers I’ve seen in ages.

New prison guard Juan Oliver is starting his first day on the job just becoming acquainted with his co-workers and the basic procedures of working “on the inside” when a carefully constructed riot breaks loose and during the chaos renders Juan nearly unconscious. Unable to carry him and at first not realizing the extent of the turmoil the prison is about to fall under, the guards place Juan in an empty cell bed. Before they can figure out what to do next, they’re forced to flee the facility, leaving Juan behind as the prisoners quickly take over the compound. Juan is left to his own devices and cleverly convinces the prisoners he is one of them. Having now inadvertently become an undercover officer, he must remain undetected while gaining simultaneously gaining the trust of the prison population’s head figure, Malemadre. As more and more complications arise and clever plot turns unfold, this task is not as easy as it may at first appear and Juan is faced with several very unpleasant decisions.

The simplicity of the story is what works here. The plot practically writes itself, yet there is plenty of room for some twists and obstacles to make for far more compelling, and in some cases gut wrenching, material. While much of the film plays like a typical hostage negotiation story, the interesting dynamic among the inmates within the prison walls is what will keep the audience on its collective toes here and nothing ever comes off as contrived or obvious despite the simplicity and elements of stories we’ve seemingly seen a million times before.

There are some underlying political messages about the state of Spanish prisoners and if looked into hard enough the film has some things to say about the nature of people in general. Prisoners and guards: are they all that dissimilar when faced with unpredictable and underhanded circumstances? What about simple human interaction? Can the behavior of a person or a collective society be changed, molded or evolve with the simplest of changed circumstances or are some people just animalistic by nature? Sure it’s not a new question or one that hasn’t been asked many times before, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen it asked under this kind of compelling plot structure.

The duality between the two lead characters makes for great personality dissection. While the new guy would in real life likely be the proverbial “bitch” within these walls, he’s believably able to insinuate himself among the higher-ups within the inmate population. Because of his intellect and wit, he becomes essentially the right hand of the big man in charge. Neither of these performances are what one might consider excellent, but the intensity of the eyes and physical presence is what makes these men (on opposite sides of the law, but now both incarcerated) interesting to watch and play against each other. Mind games and physical one-upmanship interaction become almost a psychological nightmare for inmates and the theater audience alike. Are these two men playing each other or do they truly trust each other with their lives; and how does that dynamic evolve throughout the course of the film?

The outside forces bolster heavy challenges for our protagonist. If those on the inside find out who he is, they’ll torture and kill him. With access to phone lines and 24 hour available prying media outside the walls, keeping his identity a secret is not easy and gaining trust is small in comparison to keeping out the truth. With riots cropping up in other prisons around the country and Juan’s pregnant wife desperately trying to gather information, keeping the proverbial bomb from going off is the goal of some, while letting chaos reign is deep within the hearts of others.

Giving away too many details would of course spoil the action intensity on display here. But rest assured the opening sentence of this review is spot on. As I mentioned, the movie won’t hold anything back with its punches. There are moments of true brutality here and delves into scenarios of which nearly all Hollywood films would simply pull the plug on. This can make for some extremely heartfelt moments and others of pure, pumping adrenaline. With strong leads in an explosive situation that bounces effortlessly and believably from one brutal situation to the next, this is a movie that should have audience members riveted and excited throughout.