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Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Weber, Dylan Baker ... see more see more... , Marianne Jean-Baptiste , James Gammon , Tara Subkoff , Colton James , Patrick Bauchau , Gareth Williams , Pruitt Taylor Vince , Musetta Vander , Catherine Sutherland , Jake Thomas , Gerry Becker , Dean Norris , Lauri Johnson , John Cothran Jr. , Jack Conley , Kamar de los Reyes , Christopher Janney , Nicholas Cascone , Joe La Piana

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'On... read more read more...ofrio), 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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55% liked it

160,220 ratings

Critics

45% liked it

143 critics

R, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Tarsem Singh, Jennifer Lopez, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Musetta Vander, Tarsem Duamdwar, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio

Release Date: August 18, 2000

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DVD Release Date: December 19, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (6,824)

  • moonrivers
    April 27, 2012
    moonrivers
    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... read more is very good in this, his least Vaughn-like of roles.
  • ythelastman89
    May 10, 2011
    ythelastman89
    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 t... read moreo 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.
  • 3niR
    February 7, 2010
    3niR
    This was sort of interesting.
  • RossCollinsUK
    January 17, 2010
    RossCollinsUK
    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.
  • SirPant
    September 24, 2009
    SirPant
    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!
  • 76Majikat
    June 26, 2009
    76Majikat
    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 i... read morenterpretation 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.
  • ceWEBrity
    June 8, 2009
    ceWEBrity
    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 i... read mores 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.
  • kiriyamakazou
    August 18, 2008
    kiriyamakazou
    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 vi... read moresuals, 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.
  • ajaymuthecooldevils
    August 4, 2008
    ajaymuthecooldevils
    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 stunni... read moreng 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...
  • hobster1
    June 11, 2008
    hobster1
    Triumphs style over subtance, but so visually stunning, it suceeds.

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Critic Reviews

Peter Travers
March 7, 2005
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.

Mike Clark
January 1, 2000
Mike Clark, USA Today

The Cell makes the mistake of thinking that we're going to be captivated by a story that devotes most of its length to ugly hallucinations.

Emanuel Levy
January 1, 2000
Emanuel Levy, Variety

A feast to the eye but not much for the intellect. Full Review

Jay Carr
January 1, 2000
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.

Michael O'Sullivan
January 1, 2000
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

An original and stylish vision of insanity. Full Review

Michael Atkinson
January 1, 2000
Michael Atkinson, Mr. Showbiz

Singh's big splash is essentially half a movie -- the half that looks great but that echoes like an empty room.

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
January 1, 2000
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. Full Review

Elvis Mitchell
January 1, 2000
Elvis Mitchell, New York Times

As the movie pops in and out of distinct scenarios, The Cell feels like a new video game. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
January 1, 2000
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

The movie is riveting in its low way. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

One of the best films of the year. Full Review

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