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DVD Description
In this an award winning, action packed thriller, a new prison officer has a desperate battle for survival when he is mistakenly trapped in a prison as a riot unfolds. His only way out is by pretending to be a prisoner, but first he will have to successfully befriend a violent inmate leading the rebellion.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I really enjoyed this prison drama from Spain. It is gritty, raw and debatably realistic, but most importantly entertaining. It's characters are likeable and diverse and the leads are captivating, for what is a macho, adrenaline fuelled play.
The film is about a new prison guard who gets locked in with the inmates after a riot breaks out. He pretends to be a prisoner himself, to stay alive, and fight for a way out to be reunited with his pregnant wife. The film heads down a gritty, dark outcome route (somewhat predictable) as he teams up with the jail leading psycho (Malamadre) to fight the system.
I would argue this is more accessible than other foreign arty films such as Prophet and Elite Squad, and being much better than recent prison based films (Experiment, Dog Pound and co) being essentially gratifying, without being too supercilious, arty or serious.
Males (15-40) should especially love this film (if you can stand the subtitles and light culture) and I recommend it to film fans, suggesting it is more entertaining than anything of wow note or of recognition.
The Blu-Ray version adds little to the standard DVD (other than the obvious clarity) with standard subtitling and the same extras.
The film is about a new prison guard who gets locked in with the inmates after a riot breaks out. He pretends to be a prisoner himself, to stay alive, and fight for a way out to be reunited with his pregnant wife. The film heads down a gritty, dark outcome route (somewhat predictable) as he teams up with the jail leading psycho (Malamadre) to fight the system.
I would argue this is more accessible than other foreign arty films such as Prophet and Elite Squad, and being much better than recent prison based films (Experiment, Dog Pound and co) being essentially gratifying, without being too supercilious, arty or serious.
Males (15-40) should especially love this film (if you can stand the subtitles and light culture) and I recommend it to film fans, suggesting it is more entertaining than anything of wow note or of recognition.
The Blu-Ray version adds little to the standard DVD (other than the obvious clarity) with standard subtitling and the same extras.
Prison is a grim place, but foreign prisons looks worse. If `Cell 211' has anything to go by not only do you have to avoid being shivved, becoming involved in Spanish politics and riots, but also dodgy facial hair and fashion that has been unacceptable in the UK since late 80s Liverpool. With strong prison based dramas like `Mesrine' and `A Prophet' being released in recent years, it will take something a little special to compare. `Cell 211' starts off like it may just do that - a young guard starts his first day on the job only to be trapped behind bars as a riot breaks out, will the inmates uncover his identity?
Unlike many prison dramas `Cell' is not just exploitation. There is a fair amount of violence and more than one person is stabbed to death by a neatly sharpened toothbrush, but it is the politics and the intrigue that come to the fore. There are strong elements of history in the film as the `ordinary' criminals use the Basque separatists as a tool. When the film heightens the tension between the various criminal gangs the movie is at its best.
Therefore, the fact that it descends somewhat into a confused mess is a shame. The final third is unbelievable when compared to the start of the film. The local population decide to surround the prison and events become fanciful. By the conclusion an intelligent script has been whittled away by a series of events that just would not happen. This is a shame as powerhouse performances by the likes of Luis Tosar as the gruff Malamadre and Alberto Ammann as the naïve Juan Oliver are undercut.
As this is a foreign film it comes with subtitles, they are clear and easy to read. I saw the BluRay version of the film, but the gritty nature of the stock means that this is not needed. Extra wise, the making of is interesting and has some good behind the scenes footage.
Unlike many prison dramas `Cell' is not just exploitation. There is a fair amount of violence and more than one person is stabbed to death by a neatly sharpened toothbrush, but it is the politics and the intrigue that come to the fore. There are strong elements of history in the film as the `ordinary' criminals use the Basque separatists as a tool. When the film heightens the tension between the various criminal gangs the movie is at its best.
Therefore, the fact that it descends somewhat into a confused mess is a shame. The final third is unbelievable when compared to the start of the film. The local population decide to surround the prison and events become fanciful. By the conclusion an intelligent script has been whittled away by a series of events that just would not happen. This is a shame as powerhouse performances by the likes of Luis Tosar as the gruff Malamadre and Alberto Ammann as the naïve Juan Oliver are undercut.
As this is a foreign film it comes with subtitles, they are clear and easy to read. I saw the BluRay version of the film, but the gritty nature of the stock means that this is not needed. Extra wise, the making of is interesting and has some good behind the scenes footage.
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