There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Blistering performances.

I do not get such high praise......Spanish thrillers are generally my favorite even if the production values are underwhelming--they still leave well-resourced but corporate-sequel dependent Hollywood in dust. Spanish directors are masters in what I think of as "onion" thrillers. It is a pleasure when they get it right and each peeling of the onion layer sets up a new playing field.a new stage .where the advantages and disadvantages for each character shift. .And one is constantly wondering about the implications and immerses in the ride. see .....for example the superb recent classics come to mind such as "the hidden face" or "the invisible guest".Unfortunately this movie is very predictable, sub-B grade movie that actually borders on tragedy/comedy (unintentionally of course). A guy on first day of his job as a cop ends up in the jail riot and to save himself has to hide his identity...the rest is about how he builds alliances, creates tension, and desperately fights to survive. I will not reveal the ending but it feels pointless in the end.....what was it all for???? In one unbelievable scene --no one from the prison guard's office or SWAT team's office can tell the pregnant wife to stay at home not get into rioting crowd??/ how is this possible in the age of cell phones???In contrast, the criminals are actually shown as a more real guys--harmlessly rowdy, but with rational demands -In one scene they actually scold the prison administrators and the government officials for being "rough" on rioting crowd--- and --the leader is shown as noble, sensitive, and generous ? His empathy for the "cop turned inmate" during a tragedy is more sincere than the outside colleagues and his bosses. But even so in some key scenes he is inconsistently gullible and even weak. . while the guards and the prison guard's colleagues are either idiots, ruthless, untrustworthy, or just plain incompetent. They even carry "guilt" expression on their faces as if they are the real villains. all the time. Avoid.

'Cell 211' or 'Celda 211' as it was originally titled is one of the best prison based movies I have seen. This is a very well made film that does a great job at building tension and keeping the viewer absorbed through new developments and twists.The film will keep you guessing and wondering what the inmates and Juan Oliver, the man stuck in the middle of it all, will do next. The film moves at a frantic pace and I struggle to recall a movie with such relentless tension and drama.Overall, a very well made prison film that does a great job at keeping the viewer absorbed.

This is a very well done prison movie and although they had a low budget, they managed to pull off a memorable movie. It kinda reminded me of the movie "Felon" which is also a great prison movie. I like these kind of stories where the protagonist is caught up in a situation way beyond what he is prepared for even if it's by accident (as long as it has a good enough script). And this movie flourishes in so many manners, it's not a entirely believable movie and some parts psychologically doesn't make a lot of sense. But it's still enthralling and enthralling from start to finish, and you can tell despite the low budget they did the best with what they had. The plot is about when a prison riot starts and things just go haywire, but one of the inmates is actually a prison officer that gets caught in all the chaos. And needs to act and prove he is one of the inmates in order to survive. This story and direction is actually quite intriguing because I heard stories to people trying to act crazy and sadistic or keep up a front in order to survive in the prison environment. And it's just cool to see how a inmate does the things he does in order to prove he is one of them. The acting is also good for the most part and when it comes to the plot, it makes twist and turns that I just didn't really see coming. Especially the climax, it's actually quite different from most Hollywood movies. A bit more intensity, chemistry, development between the two main characters and if it was a bit more cleverly crafted this would have been one of the best prison movies out there. Sure it borrows certain elements from other prison movies, but it has far enough originality that makes it really stand out from the rest. My only main complaint is the parts with the protagonist and his wife drama (it just isn't done very well and seems to drag when it comes to the momentum of this story). This is still a enthralling and for the most part entertaining prison movie that keeps building when it comes to it's momentum until the unexpected climax.8/10

I have to admit that I am an American that loves films and increasingly the best females I've seen over the last decade or so have mostly been NON-American films. This film was great in so many ways. It was captivating from the opening scene and gave me a ride on the emotional train. I had hoped for a different ending for the protagonist...down to the last few minutes but it was not to be and the reveal in the cell (what he wrote on the wall) revealed so much. This was a really good film with more than it's share of powerful moments. There were also some important political leanings in the film that I'd imagine speaks to the heart of prison conditions all over the world. Sadness, hope, despair, moments of joy and bliss, this movie had everything you could ask for. Do yourself a favor and watch it.