Cell 211

2009 | 110 minutes | 7.4 ★ (1230)

Cell 211
  • Overview

    The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot -- the inmate leading the rebellion and the young guard trapped in the revolt, who poses as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal.

  • Release Date

    06 November 2009

  • DirectingDaniel Monzón
  • Budget

    $5,700,000.00

  • Revenue

    $19,300,483.00

  • Stars

Videos

User Reviews

See more
CS

CinemaSerf

14 March 2024

Now there are a few rather daft plot holes here, but in the main this is a really strong prison drama anchored well by Luis Tosar and Alberto Ammann. The latter man ("Juan") is on an orientation visit to a high security prison were he is shortly to begin work when a full scale riot breaks out. That is being led by "Malamadre" (Tosar) and it's only by luck - he had had an earlier accident and was recovering in cell 211 - that he isn't taken hostage like two of his soon-to-be colleagues. He's quite a quick thinker and thanks to him being slightly bloodstained, manages to convince their new boss that he's just another new inmate. Make no mistake, though - he is treading a very fine line as not everyone believes him, and as the negotiations begin in earnest he knows it is going to prove increasingly more difficult to help diffuse this scenario and stay in one piece. Meantime, the authorities are making quite an hash of things on the outside - and that rather shambolic operation leads to a tragedy that causes "Juan" to completely rethink his loyalties! What's actually more effective here is the dialogue and quite intense style of photography. Violent and angry it is, yes - but these prisoners are victims too. Their protests against a brutal regime of solitary confinement have long since fallen on deaf ears, so this action is quite literally their last resort - just ask the previous occupant of cell 211! Tosar is impressive as the slightly more sophisticated thug and as the two men work together, a bond - of sorts - begins that might ultimately be the only thing that keeps any of them breathing.

More Like This

Metropolis

Metropolis

In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a...

See more
Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now

At the height of the Vietnam war, Captain Benjamin Willard is sent on a dangerous mission that, officially, "does not exist, nor will it ever...

See more
Twelve Monkeys

Twelve Monkeys

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly...

See more
Talk to Her

Talk to Her

Two men share an odd friendship while they care for two women who are both in deep comas.

See more
American History X

American History X

Derek Vineyard is paroled after serving 3 years in prison for killing two African-American men. Through his brother, Danny Vineyard's narration, we...

See more
War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds

Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop off his teenage son and young...

See more
Memento

Memento

Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by...

See more
Blade Runner

Blade Runner

In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who...

See more
The Elementary Particles

The Elementary Particles

Based on Michel Houellebecq's controversial novel, Atomised (aka The Elementary Particles) focuses on Michael and Bruno, two very different...

See more
Anatomy of a Murder

Anatomy of a Murder

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped...

See more
All About My Mother

All About My Mother

Following the tragic death of her teenage son, Manuela travels from Madrid to Barcelona in an attempt to contact the long-estranged father the boy...

See more
Predator

Predator

A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

See more
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the...

See more
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their...

See more
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the...

See more
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Two warriors in pursuit of a stolen sword and a notorious fugitive are led to an impetuous, physically-skilled, teenage nobleman's daughter, who is...

See more
The Secret Life of Words

The Secret Life of Words

A touching story of a deaf girl who is sent to an oil rig to take care of a man who has been blinded in a terrible accident. The girl has a special...

See more
The Monster Beneath Us

The Monster Beneath Us

In 1898 Yorkshire, a grieving woman and her son move back to the manor of her deceased ex-husband, but soon discover that they are not alone in the...

See more
Gothix

Gothix

An innovative and charismatic influencer is suddenly exiled from her community of creative partners and colleagues when she states an opinion that...

See more
Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself

The strange comedy film of two close brothers; one, Wilbur, who wants to kill himself, and the other, Harbour, who tries to prevent this. When...

See more