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Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara, Joe Anderson, James Anthony Pearson ...( see more  see more... ) , Harry Treadaway , Craig Parkinson , Toby Kebbell

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.

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89% liked it

41,902 ratings

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87% liked it

104 critics

R, 2 hrs.

Directed by: Anton Corbijn

Release Date: May 17, 2007

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DVD Release Date: June 3, 2008

Stats: 6,998 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (6,998)

  • 76Majikat
    July 30, 2009
    76Majikat
    A little slow moving, but this biopic of Joy Division?s front man Ian Curtis' life is realistic with some enjoyable performances.

    I don?t claim to be a Joy Division fan and therefore can?t comment on the accuracy shown by the Actors in this film. For me though Samantha Morto...( read more)n really stood out in this.

    Worth the watch, but fairly drawn out.
  • AgentLexi2132
    February 15, 2009
    AgentLexi2132
    ''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)>Sam Riley: Ian Curtis

    Director of Control Anton Corbijn has finally joined the ranks of his contemporaries Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Mark Romanek in directing his first full-length feature. No one could have been a better choice than this still photographer and music video director of cutting edge bands like Depeche Mode, Echo and the Bunnyman, and, of course, Joy Division themselves with the video for Atmosphere albeit eight years after the death of front-man Ian Curtis. Corbijn has the sensibilities to craft a gorgeous biographical study of a man on the verge of newly found greatness and the humanity of his soul, which keeps him from taking that next evolution beyond. The cinematography is glorious in its stark, high contrast, black and white, the performance scenes feel realistic and genuine, and he captures divine performances from every cast member.

    Joy Division's lead singer, as portrayed here: I will admit to knowing next to nothing about the band before viewing, possibly enhancing my pleasure as there were no trace of annoyance when something didn't mesh to reality, was not your run-of-the-mill rockstar. Ian Curtis was an everyman like you and me, a fallible creature, both confused and naive in his young age. Marrying so early in life, Curtis had a child, a day job, and a gig fronting one of the hottest bands of the time. What started as a way for expression, however, soon becomes another slice of trouble in his already crumbling life. When diagnosed with epilepsy, a condition for which he once tried to help afflicted gain employment, he begins a regiment of medication concoctions, hoping to find a combination to alleviate the suffering. Mixed with his late night shows and high alcohol consumption, both frowned upon by his doctor, Curtis maybe the only star I know to have fallen into his psychological descent from prescribed drug use. Ever more depressed as his love blossomed between his wife, child, and mistress, Curtis could never find the balance to deal with the fame and the fans. After all he gave in life and on-stage, they just had one answer for him...We want more.

    ''I wish I were a Warhol silk screen hanging on the wall. Or little Joe or maybe Lou. I'd love to be them all. All New York's broken hearts and secrets would be mine. I'd put you on a movie reel, and that would be just fine.''

    Truthfully, Sam Riley is quite a find. Whether his talent is real or just catered perfectly to this role, I'd like to believe the former...he is amazing. Totally embodying Curtis, Riley's face is never shown with a shred of "acting" noticeable. His blank stares, the weak smiles, the crying, and the pain of his seizures all come across as though we are viewing a documentary. Complete with Curtis' unique dance style, it is like watching history as it happens. Credit the rest of his band mates for adding to the realism in each performance sequence, as well as the supporting cast. I was a bit unimpressed at first with Samantha Morton as his wife Debbie, but that feeling quickly went away. What appeared juvenile and trying too hard to play 20 years old eventually came together as a pretty solid piece of work. Always great, Morton shines when the world begins dissolving around her, but her love for her husband never wavers behind the tears and anger. Besides her, mention also needs to be made for Toby Kebbell as manager Rob Gretton. Starting as comic relief, his character plays a tremendous role in Curtis' life. While the band seemed to be unable to deal with their singer's affliction, Kebbell stays by his side throughout, doing what he can to try and keep him together.

    The greatest praise I can give additionally to this film, above even the great performances from the cast, is that it feels like it was really made in the early 80s. It has a BBC2 clunky-kitchen-sink quality ('Come to bed Ian'), that I think may be accidental, but to someone like me who lived in the UK at the time, is more redolent of the era than the twin-tub, pay-phones, and Andrew's Liver Salts in the medicine cupboard combined. It took me to another era of film-going altogether.
    More plaudits for letting the actors perform the music themselves, adding authenticity to their roles and an evenness to the musical performances. Even more plaudits for having 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' as the only exception to this. Listening to Ian Curtis sing the words he wrote about the situation unfolding on screen before us in the sharpest of focus brings the pain he felt cutting clearly and directly into the hearts of everyone who watches this perfectly melancholy film.

    Control is a remarkable achievement that succeeds by adhering to the one aspect I like in biopics, keeping it simple. We are only shown a few years in his life, the meeting of his wife and band mates and the short-lived tenure of what was Joy Division. This capsule in time is allowed to evolve and flesh out all the emotions and turmoil that went on. From the highs to the lows, the comradery to the adultery, Curtis is always portrayed as the tragic hero he was. Everything his music did for its listeners, all the power and hope it instilled in the fans, came at a steep price. Draining himself of life and confidence and love, Curtis was never going to be able to keep the ride going into the US. Corbijn gets every moment correct, straight through to the inevitable conclusion. Never trying to shock us, he treats the ending with immense compassion and love. Subdued and heart-breaking, Curtis' demise is allowed to be as beautifully touching as the rest of his shortly spanning time among us, a candle blown out too early, too soon.

    ''So this is permanence; love-shattered pride. What once was innocence, has turned on its side.''
  • Sleaze
    November 20, 2008
    Sleaze
    Some strong performances and the superbly sparse B/W cinematography help give this sad tale more than a touch of palpable humanity. Recommended.
  • mistershinobi
    September 18, 2008
    mistershinobi
    One of the best movies you'll ever see.
    Not your regular biopic.

    *Review coming soon*
  • drago25
    July 10, 2008
    drago25
    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)dy and its connection with the music. Unknown British actor Sam Riley takes on the massive responsibility of portraying Ian Curtis. This is a sensitive issue, being as Curtis was already almost a legend by the time he died at 23, and continues to have a lasting impact on the music industry and a massive following. Luckily, Riley handles the pressure very well and, in the process, delivers an astounding and completely truthful and honest performance. Riley will absolutely have a great future in the film industry; in my opinion, seeing how well he handled this loaded role, he should be able to handle much of anything (it doesn't hurt that he bears a striking resemblance to Curtis, either). In the tradition of many recent biopics, most of the music is re-recorded and performed by the actors themselves, all of which learned to play the songs for this film on their own. This is dangerous territory to enter considering the fanbase of Joy Division, but thankfully they do an excellent job and all the songs sound very fresh and worthy of their original counterparts. This is a first time directing a feature film for Anton Corbijn (being a music video director before) and he does a great job - the movie looks and sounds and feels fantastic. the black and white was a good choice, and Corbijn pulls some really interesting, striking shots out of his hat, and constructs an extremely solid film in the process. My hope is this film will serve not only to please the current Joy Division fanbase (as it did me), but will also introduce a new generation of music fans to the darkly beautiful and wonderfully bleak world of Joy Division, helmed by the iconic tragic figure of Ian Curtis.
  • SuperVision
    December 11, 2009
    SuperVision
    Some superb performances and cool music.
  • timeladyinred
    December 9, 2009
    timeladyinred
    Very emotional and the B+W was effective
  • Phonex
    December 9, 2009
    Phonex
    http://www.joydiv.org/iancurtis.htm
  • rayld02
    December 5, 2009
    rayld02
    Ian Curtis, he is one of my favorite people since then. His music is so dark and so was his soul. He lived the life in success but in the music of life, did he make better harmonies?

    "Control" is an independent British film directed by Anton Corbijn in 2007. The movie is basical...( read more)ly about the life and death of Ian Curtis when he was 23. It was written by his wife Deborah Curtis.

    The movie starts in the life of young Ian Kevin Curtis in Macclesfield, United Kingdom. His teenage life was exemplified with his great madness to music and other forms of art. He was described in the film as a fanatic of poetry and music. Writers such as Wordsworth and J. G. Ballard were referenced as his major influences. Musically, he was influenced greatly by David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Sex Pistols, and The Doors.

    Ian got married at an early age. He lived with his wife Deborah and had a child with her. He was first employed in Job Centre, an employment agency in UK where he met a lot of different people every day. He got into the music business when he met his then band members and band manager. They were called collectively as Warsaw. Later they decided to change the band's name to Joy Division as reference to the name of Nazi Concentration camp which became a prostitution site for German soldiers. He was also described as a man of pure melancholy and he put into words with melodies all he feels.

    Ian had cheated with his wife having had an affair with a fan named Annik Honore who later became the cause of a divorce. When he was diagnosed with being "epileptic" his life worsened and so as his relationship with people around him. Medications gave him much sufferings and pain as time passed by. In the end, he decided to conclude his life with hanging himself to death when he realized that he could not take it anymore.

    This movie is an inspiration for fans and non-fans of the man. Actually, people who don't know him that much can adapt freely with the film without having to read his biography. Maybe one can relate to his life especially when you are purely or mostly melancholic by temperament.

    Death and after death

    Is death an escape for all we are having right now? Ian Curtis I can say was a cowardly man who had an exodus from his miserable life. He ended his life when it was in climax. You'll love him, you'll hate him, and in the end you'll love him. Nobody lives the life in perfect harmony but you will decide whether to end the music or keep it playing. I cannot judge him by what he did. He had gone through a lot of suffering.

    First movie I thought of while seeing this film was the 1980 Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull". Control is in black and white. Cinematography is superb. I enjoyed every scene especially the stage performances of the band. Sam Riley is Ian Curtis. Actually, I often get confused if that performing on stage is the real Ian Curtis or Sam Riley the actor. Sam did really excellent in portraying Ian Curtis. Not only he looks like him in facial features, he also moves and talks like him. The lip-synching worked really fine. He is Ian Curtis. Very convincing was his acting. I would also like to commend the actors who played Joy Division band members in the film. Like Sam Riley to Ian Curtis, they do not just look like them, they move like them on stage. The playing of instruments is well synchronized with the pre-recorded music.

    The movie made mention of several famous people in history and pop culture. It made reference to David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jim Morrison, of The Doors, Sex Pistols, Wordsworth, J. G. Ballard, movies such as "The Sound of Music", and Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" as some of Curtis' major influences.

    Worked very well for me. Very dark and melancholic.
  • UsernameMissing
    November 24, 2009
    UsernameMissing
    Fucking brilliant! Amazing biopic about one of the most influential bands in the world and great portrait of Ian Curtis.

View All Control Reviews

Critic Reviews

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

View more Control reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • joecapoz
    December 21, 2007
    joecapoz
    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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Control Trivia

  • He has played a demonic headless horseman, a villain of Gotham City, and recently, an eccentric inventor of a universal remote control. Who is he?  Answer »
  • Which film is this quote taken from?..."I pledge allegiance... to the band... of Mr. Schneebly... and will not fight him... for creative control... and will defer to him on all issues related to the musical direction of the band."  Answer »
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