Cell 211 (Daniel Monzon, 2009)

7/10
Cell 211 is a 2009 Spanish film that's finally making its way overseas, after cleaning up at the Goya Awards (8 wins, 15 nominations). Juan, a prison guard touring the facilities the day before he begins his new job there, gets caught in a massive riot and has to pretend to be an inmate to survive. Between Juan's interactions with the current prison hierarchy (led by the imposing Malamadre), the negotiators, wardens and prison officials trying to get him out, memories of his pregnant wife back at home, and the three Basque terrorists inside the prison whose presence complications negotiations and extraction considerably, the story is never lacking meat. Some suspension of disbelief is required to make the plot hum along, but it does so well enough, and the subtle character shifts generally keep you guessing at their motives or allegiances. The acting is great even when the dialogue suffers which helps a lot but for a movie with something as dramatic as a prison riot at its heart, I didn't feel much tension or suspense the entire way through. But it's smart and well-acted enough to entertain, and it's not much of a surprise to learn that an English-language remake is in the works.