Kontroll
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Movie Reviews of Kontroll
Movie Review: Kontroll
Summary: 4 Stars
What was easily one of the most original films of the past 10 years, Kontroll should hold its position well into the present decade. With the 2003 release of Kontroll, young writer and director Nimrod Antal took the basic setting of the Budapest metro system (he is, apparently, one of very few filmmakers ever granted permission to shoot there) and turned it into a self-contained universe, featuring the strangest cast of characters Hungary has to offer. As we follow the protagonist Bulcsú in his day-to-day responsibilities as a ticket taker, meet his co-workers, and watch him develop friendships with odd individuals who seem to spend all of their time in the Budapest underground, we get the impression that he has not seen daylight in a long time. On top of this, Bulcsú both chases and is plagued by a subterranean specter, Shadow, a nightmarish hooded figure who pushes passengers from the platform into oncoming trains. Antal interweaves this plotline with such subplots as romance with a girl in a bear suit, the pursuit of notorious fare-jumpers through the trains and tunnels, secret underground raves, death-defying rail runnings, and the insanity-inducing effects of a subterranean existence, demonstrating an immense understanding of and appreciation for multiple film genre in the process. In this film, Antal argues his candidacy as one of the most promising filmmakers of his generation, though his follow-ups have been less compelling (Vacancy, Armored, Predators). Even in Vacancy and Predators, you can see the development of a potential master of the horror/thriller genre, and I maintain that, despite the supposed "sophomore slump," we can expect big things from him in the future. Four and one-half stars to the very tall Hungarian man from Los Angeles.Movie Review: Underground
Summary: 4 Stars
Bulscu (Sándor Csányi) works in the Budapest Metro as a ticket checker, an enforcer: he makes sure that people have a ticket to ride the subway and cites them when they don't. From what is on view in Nimrod Antal's provocative and eerie "Kontroll" it seems like most people don't pay and Bulscu and his group get involved in a lot of fist fights and chases in trying to uphold the rules of the underground. As his sorta-girfriend says: "Everyone hates you."
"Kontroll" is interesting on several fronts. First of all, it is a Hungarian film directed by an American originally from Hungary...and when was the last time you saw a Hungarian film? Secondly, it is masterfully directed, photographed and staged in the bowels of the Budapest underground metro, which naturally gives the film credence and atmosphere that would not have been possible to reconstruct in any studio set. Thirdly, along with Csanyi's evocative performance as the troubled and conflicted Bulscu, we are introduced to many fine Hungarian actors and actresses who help to make this film the success that it is.
Csanyi has the uncanny ability to be strong and intelligent (it is strongly hinted that he was an architect before joining the "underworld") yet he is very much afraid of the world that the escalators up to street level represent. He is of the world but hiding from it and we are not sure why... and this ambiguity strengthens rather than weakens his basic nature because it humanizes him.
"Kontroll" is one of those rare films that not only succeeds on its own artistic terms but also stands as an anthropological document of a country that is undergoing rapid, unencumbered social and political change.
Movie Review: "I'm sick of it all."
Summary: 4 Stars
Nimrod Antal's impressive directorial debut KONTROLL takes place entirely in the cavernous Budapest subway system and it doesn't take long (about 5 minutes) to feel the weight and dreariness of the place pressing down on you. By time the film was over I had to go outside and sit by the pond for awhile (those frogs are crazy!).
The Budapest subway is run on the honor system with only a handful of "controllers" to walk around randomly checking for tickets. Bulcsu is a controller; he also never leaves the subway. At night when his coworkers leave and go to their homes, Bulcsu sneaks off and hides in the dark corners. KONTROLL is about his life and the Kafka-like quality it has taken on. Example: people are mysteriously falling in front of the trains Bulcsu thinks it is a serial killer, but nobody but him has ever seen the killer. Is there really a killer? Did Bulcsu really see him or was it his imagination or maybe Bulcsu is the killer? And why is that owl following him around?
By the end I really had no idea what the purpose of it all was since I had more questions than I had answers, but I didn't mind because I had fun the entire way. I especially enjoyed the scenes of the controllers chasing the non-ticket holders. Running into walls, knocking people to the ground, breaking stuff they caused more damage and chaos then if they just let the people go. It's almost like if Charles Bukowski worked at the subway...Wow!...that would have made a great story!
I can't wait to see what Antal has in store for us next.
Movie Review: A strange little parable
Summary: 4 Stars
Honestly, I can't say I've seen a story quite like this. It seems like a mixture of the subway scenes in Ghost with a bit of the type of story Neil Gaiman would like.
A young man works and lives in the Budapest underground subway system, unable to leave until he purges himself of some mysterious past and defeats evil. In likelihood, this is a parable about personal hell and the ongoing fight between good and evil. It is scattered with wise sages, owls, rival gangs, and a woman in a bear suit.
On a more literal level, it presents a group of people with one of the worst jobs in the world. "Everyone hates us," is true as they work day by day to check tickets and everyone from the common person to the aristocrats and pimps give them sass and refuse to work with them. The pure discomfort of that line of work is presented very strongly, leaving it somewhat difficult for the viewer to remain simply comfortable while watching the movie.
In terms of quality, it seems to go all over the spectrum from really gripping to ho-hum. For a long time despite its overall entertainment value it doesn't really seem to have much going on with it, until the end. This would be one I'd suggest you stick out to the end, even if you're not liking it initially. It should pay off.
--PolarisDiB
Movie Review: Death's Subway Ride
Summary: 4 Stars
Part humorous gross out film (lots of pissing, vomiting, bleeding, spitting and tooth-picking), part Alice in Wonderland homage (complete with a giant fuzzy bear leading the protagonist down into the subway caves) and part psych 101 character study, Kontroll does not succeed on all these levels, but it sure is a fun ride.
SImply put, it's about one person escaping their self-imposed personal hell by beating death (literally) before death gets him. Throw in a some terrific acting, an arresting score of songs and brilliant film composition, and you have "Angel Heart" meets "The Taking of Pelham 123."
For the people on Netflix & Amazon who want to know the theme song's identity (because there are no music credits & no score CD), it's the lead singer of UK group, Moloko, Roisin Muphy's "Sinking Feelikng" from her brilliant 2005 solo CD, "Ruby Blue."