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When planning out this review series, there was one thing I had decided to avoid entirely: stereotypical eastern-european films. You know, those depressing, down-in-the-dumps dramas about war or authoritarian governments, starring either children or unenergetic 50-year-old men, and more often than not featuring visual metaphors for something in the Bible. Not that these can't be good, they're just not my thing, and I feel like I've seen all they have to offer. In that regard, Hungary was the most difficult country to represent. Look up a list - any list - of the best hungarian films. It's always communism this, the holocaust that, ad nauseam. Of course, due to the nature of this series, I'm 100% obliged to do Hungary, but how when it gives me absolutely nothing to work with? Or so I thought. Enter Control, the exact kind of film I was looking for.
The basic gist is that it takes place in the Budapest metro system, and follows a group of ticket inspectors doing... whatever. That's the thing with this movie - it doesn't have much of an overarching plot. It starts with a hooded man committing murder, so it might lead you to think it's gonna be a whodunnit story, but then it moves on to a bit about clique rivalry, then an action scene where they deal with some street punk, and then some comic relief scenes about trying to inspect all the weird passengers... the list goes on. It does try to give us some sort of a conventional third act in the last 20 minutes, but for the most part, the script is written with a decided kitchen sink approach. This may sound like a criticism, but it's not. I like how many different things Control does, firstly because it's all done with a lot of enthusiasm, but also because it's all tied together with a coherent setting, a great ensemble cast, and a distinct, impactful style.
Let's talk about the cast first. I can say with full confidence, if you'd like to make an ensemble comedy some day, Control is a must-watch. Even more so than It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. There's plenty of characters to keep up with, but you're introduced to them elegantly and organically, as if you're supposed to already know them. You never get that sense of ''oh, this is character A's introduction''. Their personalities are all simple enough to be easy to grasp, but notso much that they stop being believable. They also play off each other in fun ways, but one thing I have to point out is the casting choice. It's the Good, the Bad and the Ugly thing again, where each actor's face, physique and costume perfectly fits his character's personality. And I can't leave out the actors themselves, all of whom bring the kind of energy and chemistry that a film like this needs. Fantastic performances, all around, with the standout being the buzzcut bro with the Stipe Mesić eyebrows.
I've tried my hand at writing novels a few times, so I can tell, this is the kind of character writing you get when you know exactly, from the outset, who each character is and what he's like. It's just what I strive towards in my writing.
If you're at all into the 2000's, you'll love this movie. And you know they're a weak spot of mine, in fact, the first thing I've done on MoFo is a top 10 2000's film list (don't look it up). Control oozes that urban, gritty, fizzy, pulpy, street jacket-wearing, fluorescent-lit, grafitti-and-concrete style from every pore. It makes you wanna blast Powerman 5000 on your CD player while doing sick kick flips in hopes of impressing a hot emo girl.
Granted, it's also great on a technical level. The stylistic choices wouldn't matter so much if they weren't executed properly, but they are. Control is filmed with the same enthusiasm as it's written and performed with, and the resulting visuals are both fresh and striking. Not to mention they're backed by a killer soundtrack.
There's one film I've already reviewed I'd like to compare with this one: Rango. It and Control are very different, but they do share the trait of being someone's ''first work'', and all that implies. Rango was Gore Verbinski and ILM's first animated film, while Control is Nimrod Antal's first film in general, and that leads to a final result that points to a lack of experience, but a surplus of pure energy. A film someone made purely for his own amusement. Take, for example, all the running visual motifs: the escalator leading to the surface, the owl, or the girl in a teddy bear costume; in any other film you'd think these were metaphors, but here, it's like they just put them in because they thought it looked cool. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
Tramuzgan presents: the Višegrad five's cinematic extravaganza: part 2 - Hungary
Control
2003
Control
2003
When planning out this review series, there was one thing I had decided to avoid entirely: stereotypical eastern-european films. You know, those depressing, down-in-the-dumps dramas about war or authoritarian governments, starring either children or unenergetic 50-year-old men, and more often than not featuring visual metaphors for something in the Bible. Not that these can't be good, they're just not my thing, and I feel like I've seen all they have to offer. In that regard, Hungary was the most difficult country to represent. Look up a list - any list - of the best hungarian films. It's always communism this, the holocaust that, ad nauseam. Of course, due to the nature of this series, I'm 100% obliged to do Hungary, but how when it gives me absolutely nothing to work with? Or so I thought. Enter Control, the exact kind of film I was looking for.
The basic gist is that it takes place in the Budapest metro system, and follows a group of ticket inspectors doing... whatever. That's the thing with this movie - it doesn't have much of an overarching plot. It starts with a hooded man committing murder, so it might lead you to think it's gonna be a whodunnit story, but then it moves on to a bit about clique rivalry, then an action scene where they deal with some street punk, and then some comic relief scenes about trying to inspect all the weird passengers... the list goes on. It does try to give us some sort of a conventional third act in the last 20 minutes, but for the most part, the script is written with a decided kitchen sink approach. This may sound like a criticism, but it's not. I like how many different things Control does, firstly because it's all done with a lot of enthusiasm, but also because it's all tied together with a coherent setting, a great ensemble cast, and a distinct, impactful style.
Let's talk about the cast first. I can say with full confidence, if you'd like to make an ensemble comedy some day, Control is a must-watch. Even more so than It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. There's plenty of characters to keep up with, but you're introduced to them elegantly and organically, as if you're supposed to already know them. You never get that sense of ''oh, this is character A's introduction''. Their personalities are all simple enough to be easy to grasp, but notso much that they stop being believable. They also play off each other in fun ways, but one thing I have to point out is the casting choice. It's the Good, the Bad and the Ugly thing again, where each actor's face, physique and costume perfectly fits his character's personality. And I can't leave out the actors themselves, all of whom bring the kind of energy and chemistry that a film like this needs. Fantastic performances, all around, with the standout being the buzzcut bro with the Stipe Mesić eyebrows.
I've tried my hand at writing novels a few times, so I can tell, this is the kind of character writing you get when you know exactly, from the outset, who each character is and what he's like. It's just what I strive towards in my writing.
If you're at all into the 2000's, you'll love this movie. And you know they're a weak spot of mine, in fact, the first thing I've done on MoFo is a top 10 2000's film list (don't look it up). Control oozes that urban, gritty, fizzy, pulpy, street jacket-wearing, fluorescent-lit, grafitti-and-concrete style from every pore. It makes you wanna blast Powerman 5000 on your CD player while doing sick kick flips in hopes of impressing a hot emo girl.
Granted, it's also great on a technical level. The stylistic choices wouldn't matter so much if they weren't executed properly, but they are. Control is filmed with the same enthusiasm as it's written and performed with, and the resulting visuals are both fresh and striking. Not to mention they're backed by a killer soundtrack.
There's one film I've already reviewed I'd like to compare with this one: Rango. It and Control are very different, but they do share the trait of being someone's ''first work'', and all that implies. Rango was Gore Verbinski and ILM's first animated film, while Control is Nimrod Antal's first film in general, and that leads to a final result that points to a lack of experience, but a surplus of pure energy. A film someone made purely for his own amusement. Take, for example, all the running visual motifs: the escalator leading to the surface, the owl, or the girl in a teddy bear costume; in any other film you'd think these were metaphors, but here, it's like they just put them in because they thought it looked cool. And I wouldn't have it any other way.