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113 comments in total

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82 out of 98 people found the following comment useful :-
Dark and funny with a rockin soundtrack., 16 September 2004

Author: johnnybender from Toronto, Canada

KONTROLL is a Hungarian film from director Nimród Antal. Yes, that's really his name. The first thing he did when he introduced the film was make fun of the fact that he was called Nimrod, which is great.

The film is about a group of ticket inspectors in the Hungarian subway system, with the focus on at least one in particular (Bulcsú). Each character is extremely likable, even the passengers become memorable characters, as none of them buy a ticket and are chased or shaken down by the inspectors, which is commonplace in Hungary. There is even a young girl in a bear suit (don't ask) that is absolutely gorgeous. The interaction between her and Bulcsú is sweet and funny. They had the kind of chemistry that is difficult to capture on film.

The entire film takes place in the underground, which is effectively presented as a separate world than the one above ground. Some characters even talk about "up there" with a child- like wonder in their voices.

The cinematography is beautiful. Some of the scenes or long panning shots in the underground are breathtaking. Who'd a thunk it'd look so cool down there? You can tell the director has a photography background, by the wonderful shots he selected.

I was also pleasantly surprised by the rockin' soundtrack. Unfortunately, the band that did the music (NEO) are no longer together. Lets hope the director gets the soundtrack released.

This film is not all laughs however. It has a very serious side that is dark, and an ending that makes you think. If this is the kind of film we can expect from Hungary, I'm eagerly anticipating more. I definitely recommend this film. (8/10)

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70 out of 86 people found the following comment useful :-
It's a fantastic movie about a strange, dark world, 3 October 2004

Author: Gergõ Gellérfy (enfo@freemail.hu) from Zsombó, Hungary

I think, it's one of the best Hungarian films what had been ever made. Bulcsú's character is very good, and Kovács Lajos (the drunken metro driver) is a great actor, the story is exciting, and the pictures have very dark feelings, so it's a perfect film from a genius director, Antal Nimród. The story is very dark, and grabs your deep inner frightens. And it shows you the real world of Budapest subway, it's the same that you see in the film, expect the shadow murderer with the hood. Csányi Sándor's first main role wasn't too difficult for this fantastic young talent, he did his performances more perfect than the perfect. If you aren't a ticket inspector, or a subway passenger, you should watch this film. I can recommend it to everybody.

(sorry for my poor English, but I haven't got a language exam yet :-) )

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54 out of 63 people found the following comment useful :-
New hope for Hungarian film, 3 January 2004

Author: meitschi from Vienna, Austria

"Kontroll" gives me new hope that Hungarian filmmakers are finally capable to make pictures that appeal to audiences at home, movie critics (and probably also foreign audiences) alike. An excellent, though a bit weird mixture of satirical comedy, mystical drama and thriller. The metro stations become a world of their own, the neon lights create a new reality.

While in the beginning the film focuses on a whole group of ticket controllers and we expect a satirical comedy about their lives, in the second half the storyline concentrates on the terrifying experiences of Bulcsú, a man with a mysterious past. He used to be an artist or in some other kind of creative business not specified further, but left this life for unknown reasons and started to live in the metro. It also becomes clear that for some reason he is not able to leave the metro system until the end - when he overcomes the dark forces (that probably have also been lurking inside him). Everything about this story is deeply irrational (except for the satirical elements that are in some ways very close to reality :-)), this is just a terrible world, where love means the only hope (I was a bit reminded of Terry Gilliam's "Brazil").

An excellent movie that I would also strongly recommend to foreign viewers. I don't know if this will ever come to other countries, but I would very much like it to be so. So that Hungary could be put back on the landscape of international moviemaking.

P.s.: The Budapest multiplex I saw this in was absolutely packed with people. I was astonished what a great success "Kontroll" has become in Hungary, because I think that most people in the audience there have probably never seen anything that could only remotely be called arthouse - and "Kontroll" wasn't exactly an easy popcorn movie....

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37 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
Amazing. Too bad few people will see it, 1 May 2005

Author: mayor_arce from United States

This is just an amazing and wonderful film. It's funny, romantic, creepy, exciting and thought provoking. Too bad this weekend people are lining up to see A Lot Like Love.

The photography is dazzling, the music heart pounding, the acting is masterful... It's been a while since i enjoyed a movie this much. Hope you get a chance to see this, you won't regret it.

The movie is a very strange and quirky dark tale of a bunch of outcasts that spend their time working as ticket inspectors in the subway, but their leader is a haunting and charming guy that is obviously dealing with his demons and has exiled himself to the subway. In his quest for finding life again, so much stuff happens. The story is beautiful, but pretty dark and creepy at times, and the romantic plot between him and the gorgeous teddy bear girl in which both share their "outcastness" is perfect.

Please go see this, you deserve it.

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43 out of 59 people found the following comment useful :-
wow!!!!!!!, 16 March 2005

Author: mortal_kombat8_kabal from United States

This is such a great film from a first time director. This movie makes you fall in love with the character and actually care whats going on in his life. And they do this with great music, funny situations, and some fun action scenes. This is definitely a treat if you can find it somewhere. This is one of my favorite films that has been shown at south by southwest, it goes along side The Thing About my Folks, and Palindromes. I can't wait until this comes out to DVD in America, i am definitely going to buy this film. Overall i give it a 9.1 of 10. Don't mess out on a chance to watch this movie.

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28 out of 32 people found the following comment useful :-
Bulcsú's past, 17 February 2007

Author: Camera Obscura from Leiden, The Dutch Mountains

CONTROL (Nimród Antal - Hungary 2003).

The film opens with a prologue featuring a real-life Budapest metro official declaring this film is in no way representative of Budapest's underground system, but nevertheless he's in full support (!) of this feature. Probably enscenated by the director, or he must be one hell of a charming fellow to convince the underground authorities in Budapest to allow this kind of endorsement.

This is a smart film. A cynical blender of genres and styles, completely in tune with the 21th century world of chaos, anarchy, despair and poverty we live in. It's a modern language. If this was American, it would define a generation. I'm positive it had this effect on many young Hungarians.

We have a closely confined space here: The Budapest underground rail system. Bulcsú, our main protagonist, is a controller in the Budapest metro. That's his job, leading a motley bunch of rival ticket inspectors. The film never comes above ground. Bulcsú never even leaves the system. He sleeps on the platforms, all he seems to eat or drink is coffee from the machines on the platforms. God knows what he lives on.

The crucial part is in the second half when Bulcsú meets an acquaintance of him on the platform, an middle-aged man who seems like a former professor of him or some kind of mentor. He is clearly embarrassed to run into him in the state he's in. What is it he's hiding from? He seems a well-educated young man. His acquaintance speaks of the promising young Bulcsú. Was he a promising scientist? What was his life like prior to the hellish job he does now? The rest, the extremely aggressive and unwilling passengers, rivalry among colleague ticket inspectors, even a shadowy serial killer who pushes unsuspecting travelers before trains, it's all a sideshow, but a brilliant one. The perfect backdrop for his troubled existence.

Sándor Csányi gives a brilliantly understated performance, perfectly in tune with the daylight-ridden world he lives in.

The silent scene where Bulcsú sits on a large ventilator shaft, echos Ridley Scott, a kind of existential ALIEN-film. Long tracking shots, a neon-lit world, an energetic techno-driven soundtrack. One can argue about the choice of music, the moral stance of the incredibly aggressive passengers but all is perfectly on par with the director's visual ideas. This director is in total control and knows how to express his ideas on film.

Very impressive, make sure you see this.

A small side-note: Nimród Antal, who grew up in LA, is currently finishing his latest film VACANCY, starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, scheduled for US release on 20 April 2007 and, I can hardly believe it, a cinematic release in the Netherlands as well, scheduled for 19 July 2007). I expect the worst and hope for the best.

Camera Obscura --- 10/10

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34 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
wow., 18 September 2004

Author: Claire from toronto, canada

I can't wait to see this film again! There is a DVD coming out with Canadian distrib. ThinkFilm in the 1st quarter of 2005...i can't wait this long!!! Gah! The director was there for a Q&A after the film, and was wonderful to talk to (which is always a nice surprise). He told me that they got the high contrast look with a 'bleach-bypass' developing of the film, and it amplified the beautiful camera work.

First review says it all, gorgeous cinematography, great directing, great acting, great story. The lead actor also had the most incredible screen presence. I couldn't tear my eyes off his performance once, i hope he continues in the business with much success. I'd also keep my eyes on the other actors, as they were all fantastic.

-cheers.

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34 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
wow! that was good :-), 11 August 2004

Author: Kosinus from Hamburg, Germany

for the first time again since Avalon I felt completely lifted to another world... I didn't know what to expect when I decided to watch this one tonight as opener for the Fantasy Film Fest in Hamburg... I was skeptical since the last openers were highly promoted but quite dull... This one is different... A team of very different persons work together as ticket inspectors... each of them is differently weird but fun to watch... The whole movie happens in the subway and stations... no daylight... The images are great and the music fits perfectly to this extraordinary composition. Just don't ask what this movie is about... or if there is a story being told... I don't know... I don't care... I loved to watch and I hope to join this ride soon again...

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30 out of 40 people found the following comment useful :-
Weird and whacky, don't take your granny, 19 August 2004

Author: Chris Docker (eyeforfilm) from Scotland, United Kingdom

Weird, whacky, amusing, unsettling with a thumpingly good soundtrack, Kontroll is a funky cult-style adventure in the Budapest subway system, the scarily unbalanced but mostly good-hearted (and fictitious) ticket inspectors, their adversaries, games of dare, the weirdos that play games of evasion, a gorgeous woman dressed in a teddy bear suit and so many other out-there and unpredictable aspects that you never know whether a seen will make you laugh or jump. Not for the very squeamish. The movie is perhaps slightly longer than it needs to be, but the aesthetic ending more than makes up for the sometimes dissipated storyline. The ingenious lighting and costumes, and the sheer audacity of the script and execution shriek of great things to come from this director.

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28 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
An excellent, competitive Hungarian movie, 20 September 2004

Author: Carlos Corleone from Dunakeszi, Hungary

At long last there is an excellent, competitive Hungarian movie about different ways of the ego and soul, about love and crime and the background there is symbolic world of subway. I really enjoyed the characters because they all are basic symbols of our life. There is the good, the bad, the lover, the friend and so many characters who can help the protagonist to reach his right way of self-realization and in the other hand there are the dark forces, all those who try to balk our hero to reach the glory. But what the glory really is? It's always personal and different. The same in all ways is to make the dream true. Our hero can beat his evil instincts with love and reach the glory (and to be able to make his dreams true). After all I really enjoyed Nimród Antal first movie and my advice is the next: U have to see it!

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