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Either that, or it refers to the gorgeous way Tarsem Singh frames his shots. This was his first film, and he doesn't seem to have worked a lot since then. However, with The Cell, he creates a tantalizing, continuous tapestry of haunting claustrophobia and colorful emotional dreamscapes. I know, that sounds like the translated lyrics of a Japanese glam rock band. But I can't think of any other way to describe it without taking up the next two hours of your time. Catherine's treatment essentially puts her into the subconscious mind of her patient, and the result is an Alice in Wonderland style universe that takes on the character of its owner.

And in this case, its owner is a paranoid schizophrenic murder machine who spends his evenings hanging from the ceiling, watching video of his victims. Stargher's coma is permanent, but a victim of his remains alive, and Catherine has limited time to learn - from what remnants remain of the killer's mind - where she is. When we're in Stargher's mind, very little is what it seems, and the laws of physics do not necessarily apply. And yet on the outside, Tarsem Singh's absolutely gorgeous camera work lets the sense of enclosure persist. Not by filming in enclosed spaces, necessarily - although he occasionally does.

It's mainly by ensuring that almost every shot is framed in a way that feels geometric, yet oddly organic as well. It's like watching light dance across a beautiful painting. The Cell is a beautiful looking film, but it's also an oddly affecting one. There's little about Catherine's arc that gives us much reason to feel sympathetic toward her. That falls almost entirely to Lopez' delivery, and I think there's little doubt she makes me care - albeit only a little - about what could just as easily have been an especially ludicrous episode of Doctor Who. She didn't have to put as much heart into the role as she does, and the film is the better for it.

Vaughn acquits himself well enough, although I've never been entirely sold on him as a dramatic actor. It's not that he doesn't have the chops; it's the fact that he can't quite lose that quirky frat-boy lisp that serves him so well when it's time to dodge a wrench. Still, there's an especially illuminating scene around the midpoint of the film that provides us with all the background that's necessary to understand his character. And - thanks to those aforementioned juvenile qualities, it (mostly) sinks in.

There is an unusually strong emotional thread running through The Cell, with is more rare than it should be among psychological thrillers. No, I'm not saying it's Brian's Song or anything. I just mean that due to the subject matter, this was never going to work as a run of the mill police procedural. The inside of Stargher's mind is more or less what you'd get if Marylyn Manson and H.P. Lovecraft decided to make a music video. The Cell would have to create a unique world for itself, and I believe it succeeds. It's a world of pain and mirrors and blood and sorrow and crimson bio-electric bodysuits. But most of all, it's a world of lost souls looking for the way back to “normal”. In a relatively rare move, The Cell does ask you to have some measure of pity for a man who would have you believe he never had a shot at becoming anything other than what he is.

And as I've already implied, D'Onofrio is ideal for it. He's all half Jeffrey Dahmer, half John Hinckley, half Billy Corgan when-he-had-hair. Very creepy.

A lot of people really, really hate this film for all the same reasons I really enjoy it. Come to think of it, that's one of the reasons I enjoy it. Whether you come down on the Love Side or the Hate Side, films this polarizing are more often than not, worth experiencing just to be part of the argument. That said, I come down on the “Really Likes” side, because I'm the guy who always finds three ways to look at a thing. Also, the experience of watching The Cell is unique enough that I'm almost forced to recommend it on that merit alone. If that's not enough, while you're watching it, imagine Owen Wilson instead of J-Lo.

It changes EVERYTHING.

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