Control (2004)

Director:

Tim Hunter

Writers (WGA):

Todd Slavkin (written by) &
Darren Swimmer (written by)

Release Date:

31 March 2005 (Portugal)

Genre:

Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Old habits die hard...

Plot:

A sociopath on death row is given a chance to live if he agrees to take part in a chemical behavioral modification program. |

Plot Keywords:

Abusive Father | Scientist | Ex Husband Ex Wife Relationship | Psychopath | Lethal Injection

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Ray Liotta	...	Lee Ray Oliver
Willem Dafoe	...	Dr. Michael Copeland
Michelle Rodriguez	...	Teresa
Stephen Rea	...	Dr. Arlo Penner
Polly Walker	...	Barbara Copeland
Kathleen Robertson	...	Eden Ross
Tim DeKay	...	Bill Caputo
Mark Pickard	...	Gary Caputo
Stewart Alexander	...	Powell
Glenn Wrage	...	Gibson
Ivan Kaye	...	Norton
Mark Letheren	...	Villard
Anthony Warren	...	Brock
Raicho Vasilev	...	Vlas
Mac McDonald	...	Warden

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

Brazil:90 min | Argentina:90 min | Germany:101 min

Country:

Aruba | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | USA:R (certificate #40163) | Argentina:16 | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bulgaria

Company:

Arc Productions

Trivia:

One tattoo in the opening credits shows the name "Karsen". This is the name of Ray Liotta' s child in real life.

Could have been something...

"Control" had a good premise and idea. With Ray Liota playing a character sentenced to death but who is given a chance for freedom if he participates in an experiment to suppress his violent urges. What could have been an interesting character study about redemption ultimately became a sub-par often melodramatic movie that failed to deliver even the slightest bit of inside on the subject.

Liota stars as Lee Ray Oliver a murderer sentenced to death but given a second chance if he participates in a chemical behavioral modification program run by Dr. Michael Copeland (played by William Defoe). The movie's first problem becomes quite apparent after a short while, Liota's character isn't portrayed as a truly evil person, yes he is shown killing people but only members of the mafia, in fact his only civilian victim doesn't even die. Which from the viewer's perspective partly ruins the motivation for the treatment Lee Ray is undertaking.

The movie's plot feels confusing not because its hard to understand but because it doesn't know what direction to take. There are actually several sub-plots in it all of which after the final scene feel unfinished, and while some could have played a role in showing Liota's character new found compassion, rather ineffectively if I might add, there is the one dealing with Defoe's character that doesn't have any sort of impact on the central plot. The movie's direction does nothing to cloud the badly written plot, with a heavy dose of mediocrity it feels like you're watching a made for TV production.

The only reason this is worth watching is the acting. With some decent to good performances by Liota, Defoe and Rodriguez (who plays Lee Ray's girlfriend in one of the sub-plots). Regrettably the supporting cast fails to keep on their level, making a lot of the supporting characters annoying or just simply badly acted.

In the end "Control" fails to impress or use it's interesting ala "Clockwork Orange" premise. Giving us a final product whose melodramatic ending doesn't succeed in achieving any sort of emotional response from the viewer.