Control (2007)
88 %
Reviews Counted: 100 Fresh: 88 Rotten:12 Average Rating: 7.4/10
Consensus:
Control is a work of art, thanks to its evocative black and white cinematography and sensational performances from Sam Riley and Samantha Morton. Even those not familiar with Joy Division can still appreciate the beauty of the film.
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Theatrical Release: Oct 10, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $801,112
Synopsis: Based on the memoir TOUCHING FROM A DISTANCE by Deborah Curtis, Anton Corbijn's CONTROL is as near perfect a filmic telling of the story of Joy Division and Ian Curtis as any fan could hope for. It's also a beautifully rendered piece of cinema about the crippling effects of love and regret, and... [More]
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Starring: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara, Joe Anderson, Toby Kebbell
Director: Anton Corbijn
Screenwriter: Matt Greenhalgh
Producer: Orian Williams, Peter Heslop, Deborah Curtis
Composer: New Order
Screenwriter: Matt Greenhalgh
Producer: Orian Williams, Peter Heslop, Deborah Curtis
Composer: New Order
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Comment
Control does justice to Curtis' legacy but fails to make any further grasps for significance.
07/31/08
Um filme repleto de planos magnificamente compostos e que se tornam ainda mais impactantes graças à impecável fotografia em preto-e-branco de Martin Ruhe.
05/26/08
(Curtis) was such an unfortunate man - just a boy really - whose existence was snuffed out by a lifestyle he could not possibly avoid.
05/25/08
Positioning art as a necessary surrender to a creative force which removes the self dangerously from existence and society, Control intimately connects in tragic yet euphoric ways to the mixed blessing of the radically unleashed musical imagination.
03/30/08
Some of Riley's musical performances are electrifying. This would not be a bad movie at all, except for the infuriatingly romantic portrayal of suicide.
03/06/08
More expressive than Gus Van Sant's "Last Days" about a tragic music figure, but incrementally so.
01/19/08
Tells me more than I care to know about the ill-fated singer with a personality like talcum powder and songs fit to make the depressed even more depressed.
01/16/08
Click to read the article
01/15/08
Riley gives a great performance, and director Corbijn's direction is deceptively perceptive. One of the year's best.
01/01/08
The monochromatic palette suggests the kitchen-sink heyday of 1960s British cinema; fittingly, 'Control' is at its best when it concentrates on the quotidian.
12/21/07
Control humanizes Curtis while acknowledging that he could be remote and even cruel in his selfishness and despair.
12/14/07
Joy Division fans have already embraced Control, a film biography of short-lived lead singer Ian Curtis. Those of us who didn't follow the 1970s English band or the post-punk scene around it may feel less invested.
12/07/07
[An] absorbing and ultimately harrowing look at Ian Curtis' short, unhappy life.
12/07/07
Top Critic
A wobbly construction of facts, but as musical bio-pics go, it has real cinematic personality and avoids most of the painful clichés that tend to shadow these productions...you can sense Deborah's script-approval fingerprints all over the material.
12/06/07
Sam Riley is fascinating as Curtis, a hypersensitive young man hobbled by his incurable disease, and Samantha Morton is poignant as his put-upon wife.
12/03/07
Top Critic
Even if you have no interest in Joy Division, this picture is worth seeing for the unsentimental empathy and passion of the moviemaking.
11/22/07
Control is easily one of the finest films ever made about the collision of music, madness, and the human heart.
11/17/07
Where many biopic actors simply dress like the subject and re-enact his or her life, Riley truly conveys Ian's heart and soul.
11/14/07
Related Forums
(2007)-Anton Corbijn's CONTROL-a sad story about a New Wave group called JOY DIVISION
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
(2007)-Anton Corbijn's CONTROL-a sad story about a New Wave group called JOY DIVISION
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
(2007)-Anton Corbijn's CONTROL-a sad story about a New Wave group called JOY DIVISION
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
(2007)-Anton Corbijn's CONTROL-a sad story about a New Wave group called JOY DIVISION
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
by: REEL_REVIEWER 7/20
Pictures
Trailers & Clips
News
RT on DVD: Transformers, Starship Troopers To Invade; Avoid Jessica Alba's Eye
posted by Jen Yamato June 02, 2008
Look out! Starship Troopers and Transformers are about to assault your senses in HD, and soon you can choose Harold and...
posted by Jen Yamato June 02, 2008
Look out! Starship Troopers and Transformers are about to assault your senses in HD, and soon you can choose Harold and...
Atonement, Control Lead London Film Critics Noms
posted by Jeff Giles December 14, 2007
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe...
posted by Jeff Giles December 14, 2007
The London Critics Circle has announced the nominees for its year-end awards, with Anton Corbijn's Control and Joe...
Critical Consensus: No Debatin' Clayton, Night Almost Owns, Elizabeth Not Golden
posted by Tim Ryan and Alex Vo October 11, 2007
This week at the movies we got lawyer types (Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney and Tilda Swinton), dueling...
posted by Tim Ryan and Alex Vo October 11, 2007
This week at the movies we got lawyer types (Michael Clayton, starring George Clooney and Tilda Swinton), dueling...
Anton Corbijn on Control: The RT Interview
posted by Jen Yamato October 11, 2007
Renowned rock photographer Anton Corbijn comes full circle this week when his award-winning feature film debut,...
posted by Jen Yamato October 11, 2007
Renowned rock photographer Anton Corbijn comes full circle this week when his award-winning feature film debut,...
IGN RSS Feeds