The Cell (2000)

45% of critics liked it
(143 reviews)
55% of users liked it
(160,220 ratings)

In this science fiction thriller, child psychiatrist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) has developed a technique that allows her to travel through the minds of her patients. When Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio), a multiple murderer who methodically drowns his victims and performs bizarre rituals with… More In this science fiction thriller, child psychiatrist Catherine Deane (Jennifer Lopez) has developed a technique that allows her to travel through the minds of her patients. When Stargher (Vincent D'Onofrio), a multiple murderer who methodically drowns his victims and performs bizarre rituals with their bodies, falls into a coma, FBI agent Peter Novak (Vince Vaughn) asks Deane to enter the killer's psyche, in the hope of finding a missing girl whom Stargher has kidnapped; if she's not soon found, in all likelihood she'll die in his torture cell. However, once Deane enters the bizarre world of Stargher's mind, she finds getting out to be a very difficult matter. The Cell was the first feature from director Tarsem, who previously made award-winning commercials and music videos, including the video for R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion." The supporting cast includes Catherine Sutherland, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Dylan Baker, and Pruitt Taylor Vince. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Tarsem Singh, Jennifer Lopez
Written By: Mark Protosevich
Genres: Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Aug 18, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Dec 19, 2000
Studio: New Line Cinema

Critic Reviews

Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Tarsem uses the dramatically shallow plot to create a dream world densely packed with images of beauty and terror that cling to the memory even if you don't want them to.
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The major problem is that The Cell continuously echoes The Silence of the Lambs, only minus the intricate character interplay, Jonathan Demme's direction and the taut storyline.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
The trippy, highly mannered, widely referential imagery is certainly its strongest selling point, despite wonderfully grounding (and, on the rides, bizarre) work by Lopez.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Had Tarsem stuck a Chanel bag or bottle of Calvin Klein perfume into the picture, he'd have ruined nothing.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
One of the best films of the year.
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
The Cell spends most of its time trying to live up to its dazzling visuals. It never quite does, although it and Jennifer Lopez are quite an eyeful.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
A movie with no plot, no logic, no meaning.
Nick Rogers, Suite101.com
Sigmund Freud's description of the id as "a cauldron full of seething excitations" could just as easily apply to this literal exploration into the darkest, filthiest corners of a serial killer's mind. A chilling journey into dark religious iconography.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
A by-the-numbers story becomes the incidental backbone of one of the most visually arresting films of recent memory.
Bob Grimm, Sacramento News & Review
The dream sequences are so well-done that it's easy to forgive the film's lack of dramatic punch.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Lopez wades through many nonsensical, pompous, gradually annoying dream-logic scenes.
Joe Lozito, Big Picture Big Sound
What could have been a by-the-numbers serial killer mystery becomes a beautiful tour de force of film magic.
Nick Funnell, Time Out
Lopez is hard to take as the empathetic psychologist who uses a synaptic transfer machine to penetrate the comatose killer's tortured psyche in hopes of finding his latest victim.
John Venable, Supercala.com
Visually stunning, but rather pedestrian.
Ron Wells, Film Threat
It's excellent.
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer
It's not the villain but the director who seems most interested in these grisly spectacles. He was certainly uninterested in his characters.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
The Cell may be another repellent serial killer movie, but at least it tries something different.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The cop/serial killer part of the story (written by Mark Protosevich) offers absolutely nothing of interest.
Eugene Novikov, Film Blather
Writer Mark Protosevich and director Tarsem Singh, both making their feature debut, have crafted the year's first masterpiece, an insanely ambitious movie that miraculously fulfills every one of its ambitions.
Jeanne Aufmuth, Palo Alto Weekly
This is a mind-bending acid trip of a movie -- fresh, disturbing and inimitable.

Read all 23 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

Visually stunning but thematically scant take on what it would be like to enter another's psyche, in this case a serial (psycho/sexual) killer whose last victim is still trapped in a cell somewhere. Lopez and D'Onofrio are competent as antagonists delivering the drama but… More
Visually stunning but thematically scant take on what it would be like to enter another's psyche, in this case a serial (psycho/sexual) killer whose last victim is still trapped in a cell somewhere. Lopez and D'Onofrio are competent as antagonists delivering the drama but Vaughn is very good in this, his least Vaughn-like of roles.
Conner R

I really do admire Tarsem's The Cell for it's amazing nightmare sequences. However, the hit-or-miss casting and lack of interest make this a lot worse than it theoretically should be. While Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn are fine on their own, this miscasting wasn't… More
I really do admire Tarsem's The Cell for it's amazing nightmare sequences. However, the hit-or-miss casting and lack of interest make this a lot worse than it theoretically should be. While Jennifer Lopez and Vince Vaughn are fine on their own, this miscasting wasn't beneficial to either of their strengths. Thankfully Vincent D'Onofrio's complete tour-de-force makes the movie as intriguing as it is, making you want to see nothing but a two hour dream sequence with him being bizarre. The visuals are landmarks for their time, mainly because it avoids heavy CGI and focuses on optical illusions. When I think about it, these were some of the best "dream sequences" i've ever seen. They were so visually and stylistically unsettling and surreal.
Dead A

This was sort of interesting.
Ross C

Run-of-the-mill serial killer thriller with a sci-fi twist. Using futuristic technology J. Lo enters the comatose serial killer's mind to help solve the mystery. The fantasy dream sequences make for a good late night visual feast.
Anthony L

It was a little bit like a music video and a car advert rolled into one. It has good bits and is visually stunning but lacks real interest in character and story. A brave film though which should be congratulated but not necessarily repeated!
Lady D

Starting on a good note, this film was better than a lot of the reviews suggested and Vince Vaughn, was surprisingly ok at a straight part. The actual Serial Killer was by far, one of the least interesting killers in this genre. The whole film was very theatrical in it?s… More
Starting on a good note, this film was better than a lot of the reviews suggested and Vince Vaughn, was surprisingly ok at a straight part. The actual Serial Killer was by far, one of the least interesting killers in this genre. The whole film was very theatrical in it?s interpretation which made some of the ?unconscious? scenes of the film visually mesmerising?yes there is a but?the theatrical interpretation was milked for all it?s worth and went on far too long, without any great explanation of the mind twisting scenario. I?m sure many people will have been put off by this element of the film.
Drew S

Woefully underrated. The Cell's negative critical reaction, most likely, is an immature reflex to the once-ubiquitous presence of Jennifer Lopez. Though I don't exactly like her either, the film is more than her, and she's underrated here anyway - the oversexed, babyish… More
Woefully underrated. The Cell's negative critical reaction, most likely, is an immature reflex to the once-ubiquitous presence of Jennifer Lopez. Though I don't exactly like her either, the film is more than her, and she's underrated here anyway - the oversexed, babyish naivete is easily viewed as a character trait, more than Jennifer Lopez not knowing how to act. The director is far too in control of his film to let Lopez make these choices unchecked. Once you start to realize that Catherine has issues too, such as when we get a look into her impossibly rosy mind, the performance starts to become more palatable. Vince Vaughn and Vincent D'Onofrio are tolerable, but really, the acting is not the centerpiece here. A phrase you will most likely hear a great deal, and possibly even use yourself a few times, in discussing film is "style over substance." It has its applications, but what many people fail to realize is film is all about style. It is an aesthetic before a narrative. Without a style, a film is almost always nothing, and in that regard a really fantastic style is its own substance. The Cell is an exemplary case in point. Tarsem Singh props up an entirely generic serial killer procedural with some of the most remarkable visuals ever put to film, turning formula into fantasy with seeming ease. It is lush and unforgettable, brutal, intelligent. And it's not filmed with vanity or excess; the grandeur fits perfectly with the themes of the story, most notably the unlimited depths of human insanity. The film is no real success as a thriller, which is surely what Hollywood coerced Singh into making. To have Lopez helm the affair was obviously a necessary evil, because without her this project probably would never have gotten 30 million dollars thrown at it. What The Cell best offers is the portraiture of delusion, what our psyches can create without any limitation or boundary. It is a fascinating look at surreal manifestations of very real traumas. Above all, it is captivating, mesmerizing and burningly memorable. I can only hope that time will be kinder to this film than it's reaped so far.
Luke B

The Cell is one of those films I've been meaning to see for years. I caught a single scene on TV a few years back and I never forgot it. The scene in question is the horse segmentation based on work by Damien Hirst. The serial killer plot to this film is just to complement the… More
The Cell is one of those films I've been meaning to see for years. I caught a single scene on TV a few years back and I never forgot it. The scene in question is the horse segmentation based on work by Damien Hirst. The serial killer plot to this film is just to complement the visuals, though it is still quite interesting and becomes more of a redemption film towards the end. The excellent mind-scape sequences bring alive some famous artistic pieces in a live action form. The images are truly unforgettable, even to the simplest shot of a ladybird flown into the air, off a leaf by a drop of blood. The real world segments aren't quite as fascinating and it's no surprise that Singh has a background in music videos. Psychologically and artistically wonderful this is a very under-rated film and I can't help but think if a director such as Burton or Del Toro had handled it, it would have been better received.
Sanjaya &

What a surprise that this science-fiction movie made by an Asian people... Actually, it didn't impress me... The story so confusing, going to a people's minds to save another people... Yet the fantasy just make me more confused.... Jennifer Lopez herself just didn't… More
What a surprise that this science-fiction movie made by an Asian people... Actually, it didn't impress me... The story so confusing, going to a people's minds to save another people... Yet the fantasy just make me more confused.... Jennifer Lopez herself just didn't gave a stunning performance, just more like to make herself a diva... And Vince Vaughn didn't make me impress too in his serious appearance... Just a confusing movie to watch, even that still make me want to watch it because I'm kinda curious about it...
Mark H

Triumphs style over subtance, but so visually stunning, it suceeds.
Curtis L

Really good visuals. Very disturbing, but sooo pretty.
Dan S

A well-casted, interesting ride. J-Lo is solid, with Vince Vaughn giving his best performance to date. Its a sick and twisted story but its also a visual ride that takes elements from "2001" and other fascinating journeys and incoorperates them well into a modern day serial… More
A well-casted, interesting ride. J-Lo is solid, with Vince Vaughn giving his best performance to date. Its a sick and twisted story but its also a visual ride that takes elements from "2001" and other fascinating journeys and incoorperates them well into a modern day serial killer takedown tale.
Tim S

The visuals are what do it for me. The plot is terrible.
Daniel H

A surreal mind-bender. Occasionally, it exhibits some of the most original cinematography I've seen in a modern major motion picture. As a story, its pretty standard. The kind of thing Stephen King and Issac Asimov would have created if they ever had teamed up. Obviously… More
A surreal mind-bender. Occasionally, it exhibits some of the most original cinematography I've seen in a modern major motion picture. As a story, its pretty standard. The kind of thing Stephen King and Issac Asimov would have created if they ever had teamed up. Obviously influenced heavily by the works of the British artist Damien Hirst. Worth watching sheerly for the visual effects... both disturbing and hypnotic.
Dean M

Very thrilling, well-crafted suspense and strong acting also help sustain the suspension of disdelief since <i>Dreamscape</i>.
Dean !

Finally watched this at long last hearing it was a good film for a while now. It's very unique and very stylish. It starts off similar to The silence of the lambs, with a serial killer on the loose who is getting bolder which each new victim. They track him down but he has a… More
Finally watched this at long last hearing it was a good film for a while now. It's very unique and very stylish. It starts off similar to The silence of the lambs, with a serial killer on the loose who is getting bolder which each new victim. They track him down but he has a seizure and with the latest victim still missing they need to find her quick! Using a sort of virtual reality programme J.Lo must enter his mind to find the answers. A very good film, if quite weird during the dream scenes but these also look excellent, very surreal and elaborate. You will enjoy this if you like serial killer films, horrors and the just plain weird!
Lafe F

There's a cool and disturbing fantasy landscape inside a comatose serial killer's mind - where Jennifer Lopez must go to find the location of a missing girl before she runs out of air. The production design is astounding and disturbing inside the killer's domain.… More
There's a cool and disturbing fantasy landscape inside a comatose serial killer's mind - where Jennifer Lopez must go to find the location of a missing girl before she runs out of air. The production design is astounding and disturbing inside the killer's domain. There's some bizarre museum displays and a horse-slicing machine. A macabre work of art throughout this movie.
Wildaly M

Mildly interesting, stylized and visually impressive film but that's about it.
xGary X

Some beautiful imagery and a sci-fiesque spin cannot save what is ultimately just another serial killer movie. It's very nice to look at but lacks depth. J Lo was the perfect casting choice then...
danny d

wierd, creepy, disturbing, j. lo's butt, hard to say how good it really is