a gleeful demonstration of Antal's flair for the medium
Kontroll (2005)
Tomatometer
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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
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Reviews for Kontroll
A frivolous fable and a fabulous frivol, a lighthearted romp and a dark night of the existential soul—Slacker meets Metropolis.
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.
A subterranean microcosm of life... a hellish retreat... the underbelly of society... comedy relief... miles of irony.
A well-done Hungarian black comedy set in Budapest's underground subway system.
It's a great science-fiction piece, a razor-sharp satire, and an impressive calling card for an emerging Hungarian cinema.
first-timer Antal manages to shoehorn a surprisingly affecting layer of metaphysical unease into the tale.
Kontroll can't seem to decide whether it's an oppressive Kafkaesque satire, a dystopian love story, or a hyperkinetic action movie.
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.
So unique and memorable that it sits alongside classic first features like Sexy Beast, Reservoir Dogs and Shallow Grave
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.
One part comedy, one part thriller, Kontroll is a film that’s tough to pin down but easy to like.
Even though we spend the entire film underground, Hungary has never looked more buoyant.
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.
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.
Like Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s Last Life in the Universe, Kontroll is another “chill out” production that’s alternately lovely and sinister.
Kontroll throws beaucoup intriguing mysteries at us, but the solutions aren't worth the trip.
Bulcsú never surfaces from the underworld. Neither does the movie -- literally or figuratively.
[S]elf-assured, totally enrapturing... makes you realize how few directors achieve such a necessary confidence in their own hocus pocus...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
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| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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