The Cell

Release Date: Aug 19th, 2000

Cast :

Director: Tarsem Singh 

The Cell is what would have happened, had Clarice Starling done acid to interrogate Hannibal Lecter, rather just using a silly than a silly little notebook. It takes a simple story, influenced by other films of its genre, and adds in a tantalizing feast of visual derivations that will boggle the mind, and dizzy the soul to maddening proportions.

The serial killer genre of films is a style that has pretty much run its course of original ideas.  From the different types of killers (psychotic, disturbed, next-door neighbor), to the styles of killing (7 deadly sins, zodiac, taunting detectives) there really isn’t a perspective that has been explored.  The key at this point is to infuse some new blood into an already existing idea, in order to make an entertaining film.  The Cell takes a trip down the psychological insight path, which was explored in depth in Silence of the Lambs (with a touch of Jacob’s Ladder thrown in for visual effect).  In Silence, there’s a discussion about “letting Hannibal Lecter into your head”, but what would happen if that really happened.  What would happen if one person could take a journey into the mind of another? This is the task undertaken by director Tarsem Singh (best known for REM’s Losing My Religion, a visual storybook of groundbreaking proportions.  The task was a mighty one, but Singh infuses his delicious vision into a story typical story, and carries above and beyond most things onscreen this year. 

“There’s a part of your mind that you don’t show anyone”

What really goes on in our heads? Is it the sensible organization that we imagine? Or is it the maddening blur of confusing images that we struggle to organize and rationalize.  Now, imagine what the mind of someone who has ran screaming across the line of sanity, never to return.  Someone who can justify their maniacal actions by merely claiming that it is their attempt to understand and comprehend the dizzying visions inside their head.  This is the world of Carl.  Carl is a sick individual, tortured, seemingly unbeknownst to himself, by a medical condition called Whalen’s Infraction.  This is a form of schizophrenia that rests inside the mind and once it comes out completely, can make the outer person disappear, to use the movies own description.  This is what happens to Carl at the most inopportune time.  Carl has had a longtime penchant for kidnapping girls, keeping them in a glass cell, then slowly, torturously drowning them.  He has perfected this so well, that he has the system in the cell on a timer, so he need not even be there to start the process.  Carl’s victim has just begun the process, when he “disappears”.  Enter FBI Agent, played with a strangely 70s wave perm hairdo, by Vince Vaughn. Linking the disappearance of a girl, with Carl, the FBI must turn to Lopez and her cohorts, who have established a method, via some oddly venous and uncomfortable looking suits and gadgetry, to enter the mind of the person in a similar suit.  The agency Lopez works for has used this procedure to attempt to reach comatose patients; we are shown one example in a stunning opening sequence.  Now, the FBI, along with Lopez, must go inside Carl’s mind, in an attempt to find the girl, before it is too late. 

Yes, this does borrow heavily from Silence of The Lambs, adding the twist of literally entering the mind instead of figuratively, and establishing a timeframe, known by Vaughn as the killers’ modus operandi.  Singh definitely picked the masterpiece of the genre to borrow from, and ends up paying tribute, rather than shamelessly stealing. He also handles the obvious romantic aspect with the same deft and effect touch that Jonathan Demme and Rob Reiner (Few Good Men) do. He uses the technique of showing us shots of the victim to heighten the suspense, and effectively balances these with the scenes inside the madman’s mind, and the reality and gravity of the situation on the outside.    However Singh also realizes his moneymaker is the visions, and rightfully, they get the majority of the attention.  Any attempts to describe them simply would not do them justice.  They are at times, disturbing, surreal, twisted, impassionate, masochistic and psychedelic.  Singh even manages to sneak in a tribute to his music video roots; eagle-eyed viewers should be able to catch it. It is a hidden joy, in a true gem of a film.   Even the movies slight stumbles, a slight focus on the background story involving Vaughn’s past and a strangely ironic and unfitting religious vision of Lopez, are forgivable due to the visceral eye feast that to which the audience is treated.  I hope the Academy pays attention, and at least recognizes the art director, cinematographer, special effects team, Singh, and anyone else responsible for this treat.  This is the best live action cinematic vision since The Haunting, and definitely the smarter and more interesting of the two. 

The performers are never the focus, but rather pawns in Singh’s visceral playground, and they succeed at pulling off the non-effects laden scenes to perfection.  Lopez’s passion, in her work, and otherwise, comes across both in reality and in dream land, while Vaughn is curiously laid back, but intense and emotional when he has to be.  Throw in D’Onofrio, who is as subdued a maniac as you’ll see, and the puppets all fit in their roles.

Ultimately, The Cell is a movie to literally see, experience and let inside your head.  It is a frightening, but explorative journey that will leave many questions, while answering others. Something to think about, and something handled with a near perfect touch. The resolution is simple, expected and yet still fitting and satisfying because it ties things up, and never dwells or lingers on unnecessary points.  It tells its story, feeds our eyes and brains, drives its message home, and finishes.  Compact, effective, powerful, and lasting in the minds of those who let this one inside their heads.($$$ out of $$$$)

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