Control

Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara

Fighting a personal battle with epilepsy, romantic troubles with his wife and girlfriend, and the overwhelming success of the band, Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division, commits suicide at...( read more  read more... ) the age of 23, the night before embarking on an American tour.

Flixster Users

89% liked it

Critics

87% liked it

R, 2 hrs.

Directed by: Anton Corbijn

Released: May 17, 2007

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DVD Released: June 3, 2008

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Top Flixster Reviews


  • February 15, 2009
    ''When you look at your life, in a strange new room, maybe drowning soon, is this the start of it all?''

    A profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.

    ...( read more )
  • November 20, 2008
    Some strong performances and the superbly sparse B/W cinematography help give this sad tale more than a touch of palpable humanity. Recommended.
  • September 18, 2008
    One of the best movies you'll ever see.
    Not your regular biopic.

    *Review coming soon*
  • July 10, 2008
    I've been anticipating the release of this film since I heard of its conception, and I'm proud to report that Control is an almost perfect music biopic. The whole Ian Curtis story is very close to me; being a longtime fan of Joy Division and just being very affected by the trage... ...( read more )
  • June 23, 2008
    Solid though slight look at the life of Ian Curtis, singer for Joy Division. Acting is good across the board, but there's not a lot of insight to Curtis or how his band became special in a very specific moment in musical history. Gorgeous cinematography often overwhelms storyte... ...( read more )
  • June 28, 2009
    I love new noir films, and this was one of the best I've ever seen, though I didn't like the music of Curtis, but if you're not watching to know more about Ian Curtis as lead singer of Joy Division, it is a good one as a movie.

Critic Reviews


View more Control reviews at RottenTomatoes.com
October 27, 2007
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

Control" has an unmistakable pulse: a wiry, electric tension between the extraordinary spectacle of Curtis at maximum surge and the dented ordinariness of which his undear life, like ours, was mostly ... full review

October 26, 2007
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

The movie examines a life -- and a death -- without getting deep about it. The result is oddly exhilarating. full review

October 26, 2007
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The extraordinary achievement of Control is that it works simultaneously as a musical biopic and the story of a life. full review

October 12, 2007
Pete Hammond, Maxim

It simply rocks. In every way, an exceptional film. This is one of those rare gems you must not miss. full review

October 10, 2007
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

Where Control might have been literal-minded and sentimental, it is instead enigmatic and moving, much in the manner of Joy Division's best songs.

October 10, 2007
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

Instead of painting a tiny, cramped picture intended only for the elite, it opens up one small corner of the world for everybody. Control is proof of the way the music of someone else's life can sudde... full review

October 9, 2007
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

You don't watch this movie, you live it. full review

October 5, 2007
Nigel Andrews, The Financial Times

The film ends, as it begins and largely unfolds, in a blaze of affectlessness. This is anomie as art. full review

Comments


  • joecapoz
    December 21, 2007
    Can anyone out there help me find a theater where I can see Control? I live in South FLorida and cannot find it anywhere....

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