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Control
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MPAA RATING: R for language and brief sexuality
Starring Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Craig Parkinson, and Joe Anderson
Ian Curtis has aspirations beyond the trappings of small-town life in 1970s England. Wanting to emulate his musical heroes, such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop, he joins a band, and his musical ambition begins to thrive. Soon, though, the everyday fears and emotions that fuel his music slowly begin to eat away at him. Married young, with a daughter, he is distracted from his family commitments by a new love and the growing expectations of his band, Joy Division. The strain manifests itself in his health. With epilepsy adding to his guilt and depression, desperation takes hold. Surrendering to the weight on his shoulders, Ian's tortured soul consumes him. (The Weinstein Company)
| GENRE(S): | Drama |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Deborah Curtis (autobiography "Touching from a Distance")
Matt Greenhalgh |
| DIRECTED BY: | Anton Corbijn |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: June 3, 2008 Theatrical: October 10, 2007 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 121 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | UK / USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 37 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Black Black gave it a6:
Beautifully shot film, real pleasure to watch, but totally lacks depth and tragedy of Curtis' personality. I think the fact that he killed himself after he listened to Iggy's ''Idiot'' tells us lot more about him and way he saw things than all this silly love triangle. Basically this film is melodrama, and it's not what IC was about. Anyway, once again - astonishing picture when it comes to visual terms.
Marcel V. gave it a9:
What a beautiful movie Anton Corbijn made. You can see he is a master in black and white (cinema)photography. Beautiful images and a good storyline. Great acting, especially the character of Ian Curtis: Marvellously played! Gives a very good image of these days in the depri/new wave/ avantgarde/ post punk music scene of Britain.
Pete B. gave it an8:
Bleak but surprisingly funny in places, this is a thoughtful, moving film. Catches the essence of the legendary Manchester music scene at the time through characters such as Tony Wilson.
Matt A gave it an8:
Beautifully shot. Superb Performances by all characters. A great biopic about a true music innovator and legend, who was not perfect by any means. The only problem with this movie is that the screenplay is a bit drawn out, and the pacing is a bit off. A great movie to watch, made better if you are familiar with the band's works.
Carlos s. gave it a9:
A solid film. Beautifully shot and acted, this movie does a good job of telling the stories of Ian, Joy Division and Debbie. It stays very much in theme with the bands music.
Chad S. gave it a7:
If there's a heaven, Ian Curtis and Bon Scott probably had a lot to talk about. These two disparate vocalists fronted successful bands that went on to greater popularity after their untimely deaths. In lieu of an AC/DC biopic, Ian Curtis(Sam Riley) is back in black and white, in the ironically titled "Control", based on the Deborah Curtis memoir about her joykill husband. Something doesn't add up. It's Ian's idea to get married. It's Ian's idea to have a baby. But in the delivery room, he freaks. He doesn't love his daughter. In the streets, he freaks. He doesn't love his wife. Why would a burgeoning rock star get married at twenty? Ian even tells his mistress, the journalist Annik Honore(Alexandra Maria Lara), how much he wants to leave Macclesfield. As a younger man, listening to "Jean Genie"(from "Alladin Sane"); we believe him, as Bowie sings about how "New York's a go-go and everything tastes nice," on his phonograph. It's no accident that Deborah(Samantha Morton) comes off as a saint in "Control". She's the executive producer. In most music biopics about morally compromised performers("Ray", "Walk the Line"), the film tries to portray them in the best possible light. This is where "Control" differs. The Joy Division frontman comes off as something of an ass. But the music remains undiminished, therefore Curtis(the Bob Dylan of the post-punk era) remains undiminished, in our eyes.
Jay H. gave it a6:
Stylish, well defined characters, very well acted. The black and white photography is very effective. I didn't always find the film interesting, but it's well done. I wasn't mesmerized by the main character, I have a feeling I was supposed to be.
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