Cell 211 (Celda 211) (2009)

97% of critics liked it
(34 reviews)
87% of users liked it
(4,010 ratings)

A lawman must side with a gang of criminals if he's to save his own life in this action drama from Spanish director Daniel Monzon. Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann) has accepted a job as a prison guard, and the day before he begins work he leaves his pregnant wife Elena (Marta Etura) at home and goes to… More A lawman must side with a gang of criminals if he's to save his own life in this action drama from Spanish director Daniel Monzon. Juan Oliver (Alberto Ammann) has accepted a job as a prison guard, and the day before he begins work he leaves his pregnant wife Elena (Marta Etura) at home and goes to the penitentiary for an orientation session. During a tour of the facilities, Juan is struck on the head in a freak accident; he passes out and is carried to a nearby cell. As the jailers wait for a doctor to arrive, a riot breaks out, and Juan is left behind. When he wakes up, all is in chaos, and Malamadre (Luis Tosar) and a band of fellow inmates have taken control of the prison. Malamadre thinks Juan is another prisoner, and for the sake of his own survival he plays along, throwing in his lot with fellow rebels Tachuela (Vicente Romero) and Releches (Luis Zahera). When Malamadre learns that a handful of Basque terrorists are confined to the same prison, he sees an opportunity to use them as a bargaining chip with the government, and Juan is caught between saving his own skin and helping Malamadre make a deal that could have grave nationwide implications. Celda 211 (aka Cell 211) received its North American premiere at the 2009 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Daniel Monzon
Written By: F.P. Gandull, Jorge Guerricaechevarría
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Nov 6, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Aug 29, 2011
Studio: Paramount Pictures

Critic Reviews

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
From Spanish director Daniel Monzon, this is a white-hot prison drama with a Byzantine plot and enough gore to make Reservoir Dogs look like a petting zoo.
Bruce Demara, Toronto Star
It's a cut above the usual penal picture, intelligent with sharply drawn, memorable characters, a storyline suffused with tension and unexpected turns, and a morass of moral quandaries that could lead the most innocent into irretrievable darkness.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Nearly every minute throbs with heart-pounding suspense, from the opening scene of a prisoner slashing his wrists with a razor blade fashioned from a cigarette filter to its mournful, blood-soaked conclusion.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
What this movie lacks in plausibility (which is almost everything), it makes up for with authentic adrenaline -- and Spanish Goya Awards (it won eight this year).
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
By the last half-hour, the story's seething skepticism towards the surveillance-state and its portrait of a naïve guard turned murderous prisoner make for a mesmerizing movie.
Liz Braun, Jam! Movies
Cell 211 is both gritty and gripping, and if the second half is not quite as electrifying as the first, much is forgiven because the story is so clever.
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
Monzón demonstrates a remarkable capacity for blending high concepts with high-minded ideas in a direct, no-nonsense way.
Philip French, Observer [UK]
First-time director Monzón keeps the screws tightened in every sense, as well as avoiding conventional rhetoric and sentimentality.
Anthony Quinn, Independent
There's a riot going on in a Spanish maximum security prison, whose Darwinian savagery is right up there with A Prophet.
David Edwards, Daily Mirror [UK]
Cell 211 is a brutal piece of filmmaking ... but the shock and gore is warranted ...
Henry Fitzherbert, Daily Express
Director Daniel Monzon's picture - very well acted by the leads - manages to combine extremely clever, unpredictable plotting with plausible but unexpected character development, elevating standard genre fare to something much more substantial.
Charlotte O'Sullivan, This is London
It's a neat, topical set-up and, initially at least, Cell 211 possesses the sweaty, coiled intensity of Un Prophète. Alas, the second half is hokum. Que paso?
Christopher Tookey, Daily Mail [UK]
The film-makers wisely resist the temptation to make Juan a classically upright Hollywood hero. In taking a more pessimistic direction, the film comes across as infinitely more realistic.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
There is something melodramatic and soapy about Cell 211 occasionally, but it really is exciting
Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
Monzón's film remains a bracing draft for a great thriller, not the finished article.
Nigel Andrews, Financial Times
Expect a Hollywood remake of the Spanish jail-riot thriller Cell 211. Three reasons: it's an international hit; it's pacy and pulsing, and it's trash.
Michael Leader, Little White Lies
The twisty plot soon gets knotted, but in the process shows a deeply broken system born of violence and corruption.
Shaun Munro, What Culture
On the surface this is a relatively familiar prison thriller, yet when executed with panache of such disarming brutality and tension, it finds room to distinguish itself in an overcrowded genre.
Alan Jones, Radio Times
The film is shot in a documentary-style that's enhanced by using actual convicts as extras.
Chris Buckle, The Skinny
Any dips into melodrama are levelled out by its unpredictability, sympathies shifting multiple times in a kaleidoscope of greys that refuses to settle into blacks and whites.

Read all 20 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Very well done. Really good cast. I was extremely caught up in it from beginning to end....and it sure didn't end the way that I expected it to. Good job!
Mark W

Like "Let the Right One In" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" this is another European film that has unashamedly been set up for an American remake already (Paul Haggis being the man involved). Seldom are remakes anywhere near as good and yet again, this will… More
Like "Let the Right One In" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" this is another European film that has unashamedly been set up for an American remake already (Paul Haggis being the man involved). Seldom are remakes anywhere near as good and yet again, this will prove a hard one to match. Juan (Alberto Ammann) is about to start work as a prison guard and is taking a tour of a maximum security area when he is injured slightly in an accident and left behind as a riot breaks out. Juan convinces Malamadre (Luis Tosar), the convicts' leader, that he is a new inmate who has been beaten up by guards, and the two men become close as the crisis escalates. The film opens with the look of a low budget television film and at first I began to think I shouldn't have listened to the plaudits I'd read of this. Not before long though, it really kicks into gear and cranks up the tension and excitement. Within minutes I was hooked. I'm an avid fan of prison drama's, with their high level of suspense and on edge atmosphere and sense of danger. This is no different and wastes no time in exposing you to the violence and brutality of the inmates. Helped no end by two excellent central performances, particulary Luis Tosar as the snarling dominant ring leader. Director Daniel Monzon keeps the story briskly moving with several moments of unbearable and skillfully handled suspense and the fact that it avoids the usual genre conventions with many unexpected plot developments, helps in keeping you captivated and wondering what direction it will go in. European cinema seems to be reaching a bigger audience these days and this is another worthy of attention. Fans of the 2009 French film "A Prophet", or any prison drama for that matter, should find plenty to enjoy here. An excellent well crafted film that delivers tension in spades.
Fernando Rafael Q

Scarier than any recent horror film, as violent as a Tarantino one, tense and chilling. Tragic thriller on life's drastic, sudden changes for the worse. Luis Tosar is splendid as Malamadre, the prison's "king thug", supported by an outstanding cast. Goya winner… More
Scarier than any recent horror film, as violent as a Tarantino one, tense and chilling. Tragic thriller on life's drastic, sudden changes for the worse. Luis Tosar is splendid as Malamadre, the prison's "king thug", supported by an outstanding cast. Goya winner 'Celda 211' stays with you long after the picture's over.
Tsubaki S

Depends on many coincidences and wishful thinking, but the acting is strong, the characters convincing and the movie never lets you go. While something like The Chaser has the police acting like stupid morons Cell 211 knows cops are smarter than that, but more importantly, it knows… More
Depends on many coincidences and wishful thinking, but the acting is strong, the characters convincing and the movie never lets you go. While something like The Chaser has the police acting like stupid morons Cell 211 knows cops are smarter than that, but more importantly, it knows how a corrupt and deeply flawed system of justice works, how personal interests will always stand before any real search for justice. Cell 211 has the cojones to go all the way to it's most dramatic possibilities. This is no prison drama where carving a hole with a spoon leads you to freedom, there's nobody to cheer here, nobody to "side" with. It's all about survival, and how this powerful instinct will make us do whatever it takes to achieve that.
Lorenzo v

"Relax, we all know you're the big murderer here. Compared to you, we're all amateurs. Though you always kill from a distance. Boom and that's that." The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot -- the inmate leading the… More
"Relax, we all know you're the big murderer here. Compared to you, we're all amateurs. Though you always kill from a distance. Boom and that's that." 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. <center>REVIEW</center> "Cell 211" mostly benefits 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 the film's finished. Daniel Monzon 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!
Nicolas K

8 Goya awards at the "Spanish Oscars" was what intrigued me to watch it. The film is a powerful prison thriller, with sharp direction and atmospheric cinematography. But it is the inspiring and compelling performances of the two lead actors that really lift the film to a… More
8 Goya awards at the "Spanish Oscars" was what intrigued me to watch it. The film is a powerful prison thriller, with sharp direction and atmospheric cinematography. But it is the inspiring and compelling performances of the two lead actors that really lift the film to a higher ground.
Marcus W

Nobody will admit it, but this is a remake of Con Air. What it does differently is take out all the cartoon characters and make it hard, gritty, and unflinching. It's beautifully written, fast paced, and will leave you perched on the edge of your seat. The best Spanish prison… More
Nobody will admit it, but this is a remake of Con Air. What it does differently is take out all the cartoon characters and make it hard, gritty, and unflinching. It's beautifully written, fast paced, and will leave you perched on the edge of your seat. The best Spanish prison film I've ever seen.
ernest e

People outside the prison were as bad and insane as the ones inside. No bad ending as this is no ending without a beginning. Anybody that reacts realistic or serious on this good fantasy is as big an idiot as the people that can make something like this. Perfectly fine for what it is… More
People outside the prison were as bad and insane as the ones inside. No bad ending as this is no ending without a beginning. Anybody that reacts realistic or serious on this good fantasy is as big an idiot as the people that can make something like this. Perfectly fine for what it is and tries to express. I don't use enough drugs to get in this state of mind, still liked seeing it.
Lauren D

I decided to rebel and watch something with a plot that actually interested me. Within the first 5-10 minutes, I knew I was going to like it. Then it started, and I LOVED it. The acting was amazing, and I really liked Alberto Ammann's character and actually cared about what he… More
I decided to rebel and watch something with a plot that actually interested me. Within the first 5-10 minutes, I knew I was going to like it. Then it started, and I LOVED it. The acting was amazing, and I really liked Alberto Ammann's character and actually cared about what he was going through. The latter half of the movie was a little weaker than the first, preventing it from getting a perfect rating. But it was still absolutely amazing.
Wu C

Fantastic prison drama that grabs hold and never lets up.
John M

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. The acting is great, well directed and well filmed. The characters are extremely real and believable. This movie is extremely violent… More
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. The acting is great, well directed and well filmed. The characters are extremely real and believable. This movie is extremely violent but not only 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. Unpredictable and intense prison thriller.
Daisy M

Celda 211 was a tremendous Spanish movie about being at the wrong time in the wrong place. About prisoners loyalty, bad luck,love and in the end friendship. This was a movie, that I had to pause it, then come back and finish watching it. It was so suspense that I could not watch it… More
Celda 211 was a tremendous Spanish movie about being at the wrong time in the wrong place. About prisoners loyalty, bad luck,love and in the end friendship. This was a movie, that I had to pause it, then come back and finish watching it. It was so suspense that I could not watch it without pausing it. The acting was amazing, all characters were so real and believable.I will not divulge any thing of the plot itself, because it was so good and I want to give my friends a fair chance to watch it. Every one real face was shown in the end, leaving uniforms, social class, education behind.It was for every man itself to survive and for others it was either justice or death.It had some extremely violent scenes and delivered pure emotions during the whole plot. This movie will keep you at the edge of your seat for almost two hours, but surely worthy a watch.