Cell 211

Here is a masterpiece of filmmaking and storytelling virtually unknown in the US. (It won most of the major "Goya" awards in its native Spain.) "Cell 211" takes place inside the maximum security wing of a prison near Barcelona. It is like a documentary in its cruel realism (as a criminal defense attorney I have visited many jails and prisons) but perfectly realized as a fiction. The directing, writing, photography and acting are flawless, the story unbearably suspenseful and timely, involving prison and political issues. Anyone who thinks the Western European justice systems are more "humane" than our American system will think again long and hard after seeing this magnificent and harrowing movie. See it!

Here is my exchange of emails with DaaVeeDee about the blu-ray disc "Cell 211". You be the judge whether you want to purchase any product from this seller."This Blu-ray does not play in my Canadian Sony blu-ray player. I tried to play it tonight for the first time. The thumbnail shows up on the screen but when the movie is selected the screen goes and stays dark. I have the latest system software running on my Sony PS3.""Thank you again for buying from us, and please accept our apologies for the problems you are having with the Blu-Ray disc that you purchased from us. Unfortunately, some US Blu-Ray players, such as Sony and Panasonic don't play 'all zone' imported Blu-Rays. Therefore, please try playing the Blu-ray in another Blu-ray player.""Excuse me but I only own one blu-ray player - which just happens to be the most widely installed machine in the world. I own over 700 blu-ray discs many of which are foreign region free discs. If your product doesn't play in these players it should either carry a warning or not be sold. This was a $60 blu-ray. Otherwise I wouldn't be bothering you about this""Unfortunately, due to the time lapsed since the purchase date we are unable to accept your return."

I'm a big fan of spanish movies. I didn't hear about this film until it won the Goya for Best Film. I rented it and then bought after watching it a dozen times. Daniel Monzon (director) did a great job with the story, complex with many subplots, and Alberto Ammann and Luis Tosar were convincing in roles as newby prison guard caught in the middle of a riot and ultimate villain (Tosar).Love this film!

Great movie! No wonder this movie was nominated for so many Goya award and won eight. I am a Spanish teacher for advanced Spanish. This movie always has my students at the edge of their seats.

i've heard they were doing an American remake, but no way it will live up to the original. a very tense film with a unique spin on the prison film genre.

I highly recommend this film, however the buyer needs to be aware that it is in PAL format, and I had to spend more than the movie cost me to have it transferred into a viewable format. Was it worth it? Yes! It really was.

It was unable to watch

Cell 211 is a thriller and a prison move, and it's excellent in both respects. As with any first-rate thriller, Cell 211 will keep you perched nervously on the edge of your seat while a collection of frightening contingencies holds sway over the lives of the participants. As with any good prison movie, you'll find yourself uncertain, going back and forth about whom to cheer for. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? And what is the source of this doubt and confusion? Am I a hopelessly misguided bleeding heart or what? Yes, a first-rate thriller and a first-rate prison move, but a good deal more.Cell 211 is fundamentally a movie about the uncertainty that, usually unnoticed, pervades modern life, the risks that are not acknowledged until circumstances and happenstance force them upon us. We are typically oblivious, not even off-handedly acknowledging the things that could go wrong. If it were otherwise, we'd go mad because there are just too many unforeseeable horrors. If you're naturally lucky or exceptionally privileged, the force-feeding of unexpected and terrible outcomes can be minimized. After all, rich people don't become prison guards and rarely go to jail. But the risks, even for them, are never completely eliminated. That's just the way the world works. That's why risk assessment has become formally institutionalized in modern organizations.Even those who are ostentatiously cynical and who complain about the bad hand they've been dealt or the corruption and incompetence that pervade our world are vulnerable to the nastiest surprises. Cynicism is no safeguard against being taken frighteningly unaware. Pain and loss, even at their most abstract and inclusive, don't exhaust the demeaning, brutalizing, identity destroying outcomes, because they so often come as a complete shock, totally unexpected, taking forms that never occurred to us, and bringing to the fore thoughts and feelings that were once alien to our nature, but now, shockingly, we harbor them.Why so? Because whatever our character, we have come to trust the world, thinking we know how it works, that there will be no real surprises, passing judgment and making decisions without recognizing that everything rests on a shaky foundation. Modern institutions, whether the criminal justice system, politics, religion, medicine, marriage and the family -- extend the list indefinitely -- provide us with a repertoire of commonsense expectations based on totally inadequate man-in-the-street knowledge. When the expectations aren't met, when prison guards beat to death innocent women and do so with impunity, we become outraged, confused, wary, and mistrustful. But eventually we calm down and go back to equanimity, back to a marginally modified but still intact set of expectations and taken-for-granted assumptions that trick us into making the world livable. Most of the time.On occasion, however, the failures of modern society and the institutions we take for granted even as we sardonically berate them take a toll too heavy to bear. We see life for what it is, a crap game with rules that are routinely broken in countless ways for countless reasons, and even the people closest to us may let us down, if only because they are mortal and may simply die, leaving us alone. The arbitrary conventions that made the world interpretable and trustworthy are so badly out of whack that we retreat into psychosis, betray brethren, die prematurely from one natural cause or another, ineffectually rebel, immerse ourselves heart and soul in a meaningless social cause, or just quit, which may or may not involve suicide. This is the world that gave rise to a place and locus of activity with the sterile, bureaucratic designation Cell 211.But let's stop for a moment. This is a prison movie. The convicts deserve to be where they are. What happens happens. Right? In this case there are notable exceptions, conspicuous institutional failures, and these are just the plainly obvious ones, and they are not the only victims. One failure begets another. For the long term, we have a dark, chilling, desperate view of the world in intense microcosm. So, yes, Cell 211 is a thriller and a prison movie, but it's a good deal more. It's life as a crap game loaded with grotesque surprises.

I watched this at the VIFF and had to track it down. One of the best prison films (for me, other are available!) along with Brute Force, Escape from Alcatraz, Shawshank, R and Green Mile (there are loads more and I could go on, but I won't!)I'm sure someone in Hollywood will remake it and if they do make sure to watch this one first.I'm not tell you much about the film as I might write spoilers by accident!

Très déçu, après 1 mois d'attente je reçois mon DVD qui est de Region 2, donc ne fonctionne pas au Canada et sur la pochette il est en espagnol sous-titré anglais.

Youve probably read the premise or synopsis elsewhere, and theyre about right.But I recommend this as a "do watch" because:(a) the acting is excellent especially from the "leader" of the rioting prisoners(b) was genuinely suprised/shocked by the plot ending(c) interesting range of characters throughoutRecommended

What an intelligent,thought provoking,well acted,well directed film. I seem to be the only person who thought 'A Prophet' was a total waste of time,unless how to be gormless is acting, and after watching this I know I was right. This is how a prison film should be.The lead actors engage you from the start and the various twists and turns of the plot are brilliant moving through moral mazes, leaving the viewer totally engrossed in the film-wow.

Really enjoyed this film, the storyline starts quickly so no dragged out introduction, some great characters and great acting! Spanish isn't too difficult to understand (there are subtitles) for anyone who is learning the language. Would definitely recommend this.