Netflix Crime Thriller Series ‘Prison Cell 211’ Gets Gripping First Trailer

Based on an unbelievable true story, Prison Cell 211 (Celda 211) is led by Diego Calva Hernández, who is best known for roles in the horror spin-off Bird Box: Barcelona, the crime drama series Narcos: Mexico, and the deeply divisive historical drama Babylon. The rest of the cast includes Noé Hernández (We Are the Flesh) and Gerardo Taracena (Apocalypto, Man on Fire). Prison Cell 211 is due to hit Netflix next month on February 5, 2025, and you can check out the official synopsis for the limited series below.

“A human rights lawyer’s routine day becomes a nightmare when he’s trapped in a border-town prison riot. To survive, he must pose as an inmate. Can he blend in, or will his own darkness turn him into a criminal as dangerous as those around him? Inspired by true events.”

‘Prison Cell 211’ Is Based on a Harrowing True Story

Prison Cell 211 is reportedly based on the true story of a deadly gang warfare prison riot that took place in 2023 in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua. On the morning of January 1, 2023, several armored vehicles stormed up to the doors of the Cereso number 3 state prison in Juárez. Gang members emerged and began to open fire on prison guards, with prisoners using it as a chance to kick-start a riot. Several guards, inmates, and gang members were killed, with 30 inmates using the riot as cover to escape. As you can see from the trailer, the event was nothing less than violent chaos, with the series putting a human rights lawyer at the center and adding a whole other layer of tension.

Related

10 Crime TV Shows With 100% Rotten Tomatoes Scores on Netflix

Netflix is the ideal destination for the most gripping crime thrillers that have also earned a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes for their brilliance.

As well as being based on this true story, Prison Cell 211 bears a lot of resemblance to the 2009 Spanish-French film, Cell 211
. Directed by Daniel Monzón and starring Luis Tosar and Alberto Ammann, Cell 211 is based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Francisco Pérez Gandul. Similarly to Netflix’s Prison Cell 211, the movie follows a young prison guard who, on his first day, finds himself trapped with the inmates and pretending to be a fellow prisoner after a riot breaks out. Cell 211 boasts a “certified fresh” score of 98% on the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, and won a total of eight Goya Awards (the most coveted cinematic award in Spain), including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Luis Tosar, and Best Adapted Screenplay. So, Prison Cell 211 has a lot to live up to.