Celda 211 (2009)

The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot -- the inmate leading the rebellion and the young guard trapped in the revolt, who poses as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal.

Director:

Daniel Monzón

Writers:

Jorge Guerricaechevarría (adaptation), Daniel Monzón (adaptation)

Stars:

Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Antonio Resines

44 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Luis Tosar	...	Malamadre
Alberto Ammann	...	Juan Oliver
Antonio Resines	...	José Utrilla
Manuel Morón	...	Ernesto Almansa
Carlos Bardem	...	Apache
Marta Etura	...	Elena
Luis Zahera	...	Releches
Fernando Soto	...	Armando Nieto
Vicente Romero	...	Tachuela
Manolo Solo	...	Director cárcel
Patxi Bisquert	...	Jon Arteaga 'Potolo'
Josean Bengoetxea	...	Antxon Elorza 'El Profesor'
Anartz Zuazua	...	Asier Urruticoechea 'El Txiqui'
Miguel Martín	...	Pincho
Félix Cubero	...	Germán

Storyline

Juan Oliver wants to make a good impression at his new job as a prison officer and reports to work a day early, leaving his pregnant wife, Elena, at home. His destiny is forever changed by this fateful decision, as during his tour of the prison, an accident occurs that knocks him unconscious. He is rushed to the empty but visibly haunted walls of cell 211. As this diversion unfolds, inmates of the high security cell block strategically break free and hijack the penitentiary. Aware of the violence that is to come, the prison officers flee, leaving Juan stranded and unconscious in the heart of the riot. When Juan awakens, he immediately takes stock of the situation; in order to survive, he must pretend to be a prisoner. Juan develops a dialogue with the violent leader of the riot, Badass, and the two begin a partnership, Badass fully believing that Juan is a new inmate. Negotiations go smoothly until the rioters take three ETA (the militant Basque separatist organization) prisoners ...

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Plot Keywords:

spain | caligula character | prison riot | penitentiary | walkie talkie | 

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Taglines:

A riot, a man trapped, a single goal, survive

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie is dedicated to Luis Ángel Puente, a fireman of the city of Zamora (Spain) where the film is located. He participated in the film and died rescuing two boys in the Duero river shortly after.

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Goofs

When the minister is heading to the prison, the car he is driven in is shown as an Audi A6 (1997) from the front, when arriving to the prison the car is shown from behind, but this is an Audi A8 (2005) model.

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Quotes

Malamadre: Where did you come from?
Juan Oliver: From 211.
Malamadre: That cell was empty.
Juan Oliver: Not anymore.

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Connections

Referenced in El premio (2010)

User Reviews

Great movie!

This is a great movie mainly for two reasons:

1. The script is not a typical Hollywood storyline. It's very realistic and powerful.

2. The performances of all actors are superb. In contrast to Hollywood movies, the actors in this movie are not models who decided to move to the film business but real actors.

Fortunately, there are still cinema people who do not see movies as commercial products for sale with the purpose of bringing enormous profit to the producers but rather works of art. There is still hope for cinema.

Details

Official Sites:

Official [Spain]

Country:

Spain France

Language:

Spanish Basque English

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Celda 211

Filming Locations:

Spain

Box Office

Budget:

EUR3,500,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,305,314

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+ España, Canal+, La Fabrique 2

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1