The Cell
A pioneering therapist enters a comatose serial killer’s surreal mind to locate his next drowning victim before time runs out.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- surreal
- foreboding
- late night horror viewing
- visual horror showcase
What critics said
Critics were deeply divided, broadly praising the film’s startling visual invention while criticizing its contrived story and extreme violence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tarsem Singh renders Catherine Deane’s mental journeys and Carl Stargher’s damaged psyche through ornate, surreal compositions.
Catherine must search Stargher’s mind for the location of his captive while resisting its psychological threats.
An experimental mind-entry treatment allows an FBI investigation to proceed through a comatose serial killer’s consciousness.
Stargher’s fractured personality produces disturbing, dreamlike environments that threaten to overwhelm the therapist.
Films like The Cell, and why
The Silence of the Lambs
shares psychological serial-killer investigation, an endangered captive, and a tense confrontation with a killer’s mind
The Matrix
shares immersive virtual-reality imagery, layered realities, and a protagonist navigating dangerous constructed worlds
Bram Stoker's Dracula
shares baroque gothic imagery, heightened horror, and visually extravagant psychological terror
Jacob's Ladder
shares surreal dreamlike spaces, psychological trauma, and an investigation shaped by unstable inner realities
Movie Details
- Director
- Tarsem Singh
- Release Date
- 2000-08-18
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.3 / 10 (1796)
Cast
- Jennifer Lopez
- Vince Vaughn
- Vincent D'Onofrio
- Catherine Sutherland
- James Gammon
- Colton James
- Dylan Baker
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste
- Gerry Becker
- Musetta Vander
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Cell about?
- A pioneering therapist enters a comatose serial killer’s surreal mind to locate his next drowning victim before time runs out.
- What is The Cell like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Cell as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Cell violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Cell as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Cell?
- Critics were deeply divided, broadly praising the film’s startling visual invention while criticizing its contrived story and extreme violence.
- Which films are like The Cell?
- Films with a similar feel include The Silence of the Lambs, The Matrix, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Jacob's Ladder.
- How long is The Cell?
- The Cell runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Cell?
- In United States, The Cell streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
