THE CELL

There is a mad multi-murderer who kidnaps young girls and keeps them trapped in an airtight room with glass walls until, after a few hours, a special automated machine floods the accommodation and watches them drown. The federal police manage to capture him, but the serial killer, due to a severe brain dysfunction, falls into a coma. Now you have to find a way to interrogate him because the madman, before being caught, managed to kidnap the last girl who, locked in the trap room, risks drowning too. The last resource to extract information from the killer is a newly invented machine that allows entering the brain and thoughts of people in a coma; a doctor attempts the task of diving into the criminal's psyche but it will not be easy… "The Cell" represents yet another wasted opportunity: the director (made famous for directing the advertisements of famous products like Nike, Coca-cola, and Levi's) had at his disposal an excellent cast, an intriguing story, and great special effects but he managed to direct a film that, although visually impactful, fails to convey anything to the viewer and, in some points, risks becoming ridiculous (one above all the scene in which Lopez appears dressed as Santa). Tarsem, defining his first film, had stated: "It looks like a film written by Dario Argento and directed by Ken Russell", frankly a bit exaggerated.