The Cell

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dylan Baker
Directed by: Tarsem Singh
Rating: R
Genre: Thriller, Crime, Horror
2000

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After an FBI Agent (Vince Vaughn) captures a psychotic serial killer (Vincent D'Onofrio), he enters a race against time to save the last victim. The problem is that the killer is in a comatose state. To solve this problem, he employs the help of a psychologist (Jennifer Lopez) who has worked with a new technological breakthrough, which allows her to enter the mind of another. As she prepares to enter the killer's mind searching for the whereabouts of his last victim, she cannot predict the bizarre and disturbing world she will find.

Review:

Tim: This is a very interesting movie that is not spectacular, but much better than it could have been. I really like the idea of being able to enter another person's mind and look around I like it even more when the mind belongs to an evil, twisted human being whose mind is bent and fractured beyond repair. The trip inside such a mind would be the stuff nightmares are made of, and this film does a good job translating that onto the screen.

I normally can't stand Jennifer Lopez, but she wasn't too infuriatingly annoying here. Part of this is just due to the nature of the role, but even still, it is a major positive. Vince Vaughn isn't too bad at all. He doesn't make the most believable FBI agent, but he gets the job done. If I want to cast a psycho killer, Vincent D'Onofrio would be my man, and I applaud the choice.

The best part of the movie is the nightmarish and phantasmagorical world Lopez discovers when she enters the killer's mind. These scenes are not easy to watch, but accurately portray what you'd expect to find in the mind of a psychopath. This journey is the real reason to see this movie.

The film is hurt because the very premise is regrettably ridiculous and unrealistic. Plus, the film is incredibly predictable, offering no twists or surprises. There are a number of times when a twist just feels like it needs to occur, and nothing materializes. This isn't a good movie, but it is interesting, and sometimes that is worth a look.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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