Before watching this film, I wasn't sure what to expect. I only saw it recently, and since it's initial release in 2000 it seems to have been largely forgotten. That in mind, I wasn't expecting too much from it. However, "The Cell" really surprised me and turned out to be one of the very best of it's genre. The film works well on many different levels and is very interesting, original and entertaining. The whole premise for the film is very original I thought, and it has been delivered very well. Jennifer Lopez' character is a child physcologist of sorts who, with the aid of incredible new technology, delves deep into the minds of her patients to try and cure them. When a serial killer is found in a coma, she is hired to try and help discover where his latest victim is being held before it's too late.
It's a simple premise and it has been very well delivered - as a viewer you never feel as if the story is running away with itself, everything is very well restrained and measured - it would have been all too easy for the writers to go ahead of themselves with this plot and lose the audience. The best part of the film for me was the amazing scenes in which Lopez is inside the mind of Carl, the clinically insane killer. These scenes have been superbly put together, with all kinds of Camera Lens trickery and some truly amazing visual effects. Probably the most impressive thing about these scenes is that they are all very well integrated and run very smoothly from one to the other - this is an important aspect of the film's success. Visual icons used to make the meaning of scenes and to push the narrative forward could have been too obvious and lost all credibility all to easily, but again these are very well realised and add to the whole strong intelligence of the movie. The use of colour composition and camera work is simply stunning on numerous occasions - the "dream" world of the killer's mind has been incredibly realised.
The final winning aspect of this film is it's cast. This is the best I've ever seen Jennier Lopez in a serious role - why doesn't such pick such great roles like this anymore? Vince Vaughn puts in a strong performance as the ex-Lawyer turned Cop who is hell bent saving the latest of the killer's victims. Vincent D'Onofrio is outstanding as the deranged serial killer - probably the best performance in the film because he manages to capture the humanity of his evil character perfectly - a mature and sophisticated performance. Direction by Tarsem Singh is good - he has managed to command one of the finest Lopez performances ever here and for that, must be applauded. Overall - this film is a real winner. The cast strong, writing well realised and the cinematography is stunning throughout. An original, thought provoking and valuable addition to the Thriller genre.
It's a simple premise and it has been very well delivered - as a viewer you never feel as if the story is running away with itself, everything is very well restrained and measured - it would have been all too easy for the writers to go ahead of themselves with this plot and lose the audience. The best part of the film for me was the amazing scenes in which Lopez is inside the mind of Carl, the clinically insane killer. These scenes have been superbly put together, with all kinds of Camera Lens trickery and some truly amazing visual effects. Probably the most impressive thing about these scenes is that they are all very well integrated and run very smoothly from one to the other - this is an important aspect of the film's success. Visual icons used to make the meaning of scenes and to push the narrative forward could have been too obvious and lost all credibility all to easily, but again these are very well realised and add to the whole strong intelligence of the movie. The use of colour composition and camera work is simply stunning on numerous occasions - the "dream" world of the killer's mind has been incredibly realised.
The final winning aspect of this film is it's cast. This is the best I've ever seen Jennier Lopez in a serious role - why doesn't such pick such great roles like this anymore? Vince Vaughn puts in a strong performance as the ex-Lawyer turned Cop who is hell bent saving the latest of the killer's victims. Vincent D'Onofrio is outstanding as the deranged serial killer - probably the best performance in the film because he manages to capture the humanity of his evil character perfectly - a mature and sophisticated performance. Direction by Tarsem Singh is good - he has managed to command one of the finest Lopez performances ever here and for that, must be applauded. Overall - this film is a real winner. The cast strong, writing well realised and the cinematography is stunning throughout. An original, thought provoking and valuable addition to the Thriller genre.