RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Kontroll
Kontroll

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Kontroll (2005)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
81 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:64

Fresh:52

Rotten:12

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Kontroll is a smart thriller that's dark, gritty, and funny.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some violence and brief sexuality

Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Apr 1, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $116,783

Synopsis: Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Academy Awards, writer-director Nimrod Antal's debut is a thrilling, claustrophobic, wild ride through the subway system in the Hungarian... Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Academy Awards, writer-director Nimrod Antal's debut is a thrilling, claustrophobic, wild ride through the subway system in the Hungarian capital of Budapest. Sandor Csanyi stars as Bulcsu, the leader of a small crew that patrols the underground making sure that passengers have purchased a ticket. However, the men actually have little power themselves, so many people that they stop humiliate them, physically and verbally abuse them, and easily run away. Within this small world, Bulcsu and his gang, which includes the older Professor (Zoltan Mucsi), the narcoleptic Muki (Csaba Pindroch), the diminutive Lecso (Sandor Badar), and the young and innocent Tibi (Zsolt Nagy), battle Gonzo (Balazs Lazar) and his far more successful group of ticket checkers. In one of the film's most exciting scenes, Bulcsu and Gonzo go railing--racing down the tracks in between two moving trains. Meanwhile, a mysterious hooded person in black is pushing people in front of trains, a man named Bootsie (Bence Matyassy) continually escapes from the ticket checkers' clutches, a train conductor (Lajos Kovacs) indulges himself in food, drink, and smoke, and an odd woman (Eszter Balla) roams around the subway wearing a cute bear costume. But the more the story focuses on Bulcsu, who lives in the subway and always seems to be bleeding, the more powerful the film becomes, propelled by NEO's thumping techo soundtrack. [More]

Starring: Sandor Csanyi, Zoltan Mucsi, Csaba Pindroch, Sandor Badar

Starring: Sandor Csanyi, Zoltan Mucsi, Csaba Pindroch, Sandor Badar, Zsolt Nagy, Bence Matyassy, Gyozo Szabo, Eszter Balla, Laszlo Nadasi, Peter Scherer, Lajos Kovacs

Director: Nimrod Antal

Director: Nimrod Antal
Screenwriter: Nimrod Antal
Producer: Tamas Hutlassa, Nimrod Antal
Composer: NEO
Studio: ThinkFilm

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • Kontroll Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Aug 30, 2005

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Kontroll

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

a gleeful demonstration of Antal's flair for the medium

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Alternative | comment Comment
04/17/05
Jay Antani
Jay Antani
Los Angeles Alternative

A frivolous fable and a fabulous frivol, a lighthearted romp and a dark night of the existential soul—Slacker meets Metropolis.

Full Review Source: Seattle Weekly | comment Comment
05/25/05
Tim Appelo
Tim Appelo
Seattle Weekly

You might wonder at the end what happened to the plot, but the mood, characters and look are so striking that you really won't miss it.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
06/16/05
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

A subterranean microcosm of life... a hellish retreat... the underbelly of society... comedy relief... miles of irony.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
04/19/05
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

A well-done Hungarian black comedy set in Budapest's underground subway system.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/29/05
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

These pieces come together, but they don't always fit.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/06/05
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a great science-fiction piece, a razor-sharp satire, and an impressive calling card for an emerging Hungarian cinema.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
10/20/04
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

first-timer Antal manages to shoehorn a surprisingly affecting layer of metaphysical unease into the tale.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/17/05
Eddie Cockrell
Eddie Cockrell
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Kontroll can't seem to decide whether it's an oppressive Kafkaesque satire, a dystopian love story, or a hyperkinetic action movie.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
04/05/05
Peter Debruge
Peter Debruge
Premiere Magazine

There must be a lot of smart people out there in America ready for a youthful explosion of talent and temperament. This is their picture.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
04/14/05
David Denby
David Denby
New Yorker
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

So unique and memorable that it sits alongside classic first features like Sexy Beast, Reservoir Dogs and Shallow Grave

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
03/29/05
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

Kontroll is the first work by a director who is clearly gifted and who has found a way to make a full-bore action movie on a limited budget.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
05/27/05
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

One part comedy, one part thriller, Kontroll is a film that’s tough to pin down but easy to like.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
04/02/05
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

Even though we spend the entire film underground, Hungary has never looked more buoyant.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Bruce Feld
Bruce Feld
Film Journal International

Antal keenly juggles black comedy, character types and genre styles, making the most of the weird angles and inherent dark creepiness of his chosen backdrop.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
05/27/05
Ted Fry
Ted Fry
Seattle Times

The hooded phantom who keeps popping up to shove passengers onto the tracks is the only figure in Kontroll with even a semblance of purpose.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
03/30/05
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s Last Life in the Universe, Kontroll is another “chill out” production that’s alternately lovely and sinister.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
10/25/04
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Kontroll throws beaucoup intriguing mysteries at us, but the solutions aren't worth the trip.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
06/09/05
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Bulcsú never surfaces from the underworld. Neither does the movie -- literally or figuratively.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
03/30/05
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[S]elf-assured, totally enrapturing... makes you realize how few directors achieve such a necessary confidence in their own hocus pocus...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
06/06/05
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Total Recall

Total Recall

John Travolta's top reviewed movies

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

What's Coming Out

What's Coming Out

Find movies for the holiday weekend!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
6
  • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
14
  • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
10
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
116
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
176
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
130
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
72
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
58
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
35
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
21
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
18
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
13
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
9
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Kontroll at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Kontroll at IGN
  • Kontroll at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

New Moon Portraits
New Moon Portraits External Link

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Unsexiest Men Alive
Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.