Kontroll (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Aaron N

  
  "No Ticket" Solid film about a crew of subway control officers working in the underworld that is the Budapest subway system. The film works as a dark comedy and very gritty thriller. As mentioned, the film is set entirely within the Budapest subway system. Our main… More
  "No Ticket" Solid film about a crew of subway control officers working in the underworld that is the Budapest subway system. The film works as a dark comedy and very gritty thriller. As mentioned, the film is set entirely within the Budapest subway system. Our main characters are a team of control officers, responsible for checking the tickets for every subway train passenger, due to the subway working by way of the honor system. The lead role belongs to Sándor Csányi, who plays Bulcsu, a man that has been down, underground for way too long. Bulcsu manages to meet a woman, have gritty adventures with his fellow workers, and spend time with an old train diver. While the plot is somewhat episodic, there is the matter of a hooded figure, who is pushing people onto the tracks. The film was directed by Nimrod Antal, a Hungarian, who has since made a couple simple thrillers, Vacancy and Armored, and is currently working on the Robert Rodriguez produced Predators film. I mention Rodriguez, because Antal strikes me as a guy who works very much like him. His films are low budget, efficiently made, and manage to have a slick feel; delivering a lot with a little. This film is no different, working in one location and making the most with it. There is a good amount of creativity at play here, and I enjoyed it. Szofi: [at subway vending machines] Nice place. Come here often? Bulcsú: Only when I really want to impress a girl.

• Greg S

  
  A crew of borderline-incompetent subway cops ('Kontrollers') deal with abusive commuters, a rash of apparent suicides, and dense symbolism. Shot entirely in the Budapest subway, this accomplished debut mixes elements of comedy, romance, thrillers, and obscure arthouse… More
  A crew of borderline-incompetent subway cops ('Kontrollers') deal with abusive commuters, a rash of apparent suicides, and dense symbolism. Shot entirely in the Budapest subway, this accomplished debut mixes elements of comedy, romance, thrillers, and obscure arthouse allegory into a narrative that, against all odds, works.

• Stella D

  
  dark dark dark and funny low budget thriller set in the budapest underground with a host of oddball characters. i really enjoyed this

• E.J. B

  
  The setting feels more like a nightclub than a subway system. Cool scenes and music score, but the film tries to combine one too many genres to really grab hold of an audience.

• Robert C

  
  Interesting, funny, thought provoking, all in all an exceptional and enjoyable film.

• Gordon A

  
  Eerie underground settings help this droll melancholic tale of unloved ticket inspectors, along with an eclectic score and the obvious affection the director has for society's outsiders.

• Tsubaki S

  
  Nice little film with a good balance of humour and thrills. While it has plenty of "strange quirky" characters, these have a dark edge, and never get too anoying or too silly. A shame that the director already got ate by the Hollywood machinery to do crappy and forgettable… More
  Nice little film with a good balance of humour and thrills. While it has plenty of "strange quirky" characters, these have a dark edge, and never get too anoying or too silly. A shame that the director already got ate by the Hollywood machinery to do crappy and forgettable stuff.

• Arash X

  
  Stylish, Entirely shot in Budapest subway, this movie is highly symbolic. The whole theme is not something original but Kontroll is definitely one of the bests of it's kind, A great debut.

• Lanning :

  
  There's no such thing as a free ride on the Budapest subway system, and employees like Sándor Csányi's character, Bulcsú, are there to try to make as sure of that as they can. This film took me by great surprise. It is nearly heavy handed in its allegorical intention, but… More
  There's no such thing as a free ride on the Budapest subway system, and employees like Sándor Csányi's character, Bulcsú, are there to try to make as sure of that as they can. This film took me by great surprise. It is nearly heavy handed in its allegorical intention, but it does not, happily, cross that line. Csányi is someone I've not seen before, but he is definitely worth looking for. The mix of murder, mystery, and the mundane of just trying to do your job all mix well with what is a very good love story. Love, it turns out, can lead you out of the depths and into the sunny world above ground. Who woulda thunk it : )

• Emily A

  
  This movie amazed me. If you've ever had a job where you had to clash with the public, even a little but, you can understand the ordeal that the Budapest subway Kontrollers have to go through every day. All the characters are really beleivable and this movie delivers comedy,… More
  This movie amazed me. If you've ever had a job where you had to clash with the public, even a little but, you can understand the ordeal that the Budapest subway Kontrollers have to go through every day. All the characters are really beleivable and this movie delivers comedy, drama and thrills with equal effectiveness. This film is a hidden gem, one that's a great pleasure to find.

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]"Kontroll" is about a group of motley ticket control officers in the Budapest subway. This is not the healthiest of professions - one character wakes up with a bleeding nose on a subway platform and another collapses into his fries in the opening… More
  [font=Century Gothic]"Kontroll" is about a group of motley ticket control officers in the Budapest subway. This is not the healthiest of professions - one character wakes up with a bleeding nose on a subway platform and another collapses into his fries in the opening minutes of the movie.(And the psychiatrist position does not look that appealing either.) Considering how bad this job is - continuously dealing with surly and insane riders - it is surprising that they can get anybody to do it at all. On top of all this, there is a serial killer pushing people in front of trains. And what's up with the woman wearing the bear costume?[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Kontroll" is an enjoyable movie full of black comedy but it is never bleak. It starts off weakly but gains momentum as it moves along. I especially liked how the underground was photgraphed.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]If, heaven forbid, New York City should get the 2012 Olympics, then I think "railing" should become an Olympic sport.[/font]

• Ryan M

  
  7.0/10 So I guess the deal with directors such as Nimrod Antal is that they have one good film and then they just go on and succumb to Hollywood's clichéd madness. I always knew that Antal was a director of talent, skill, and style. "Kontroll", his first film,… More
  7.0/10 So I guess the deal with directors such as Nimrod Antal is that they have one good film and then they just go on and succumb to Hollywood's clichéd madness. I always knew that Antal was a director of talent, skill, and style. "Kontroll", his first film, proves that he is every one of those things. While it's far from perfect, "Kontroll" is a cool, hip, and suitably stylistic little thriller from Hungary. It's sort of like Antal's nod to past art-house thrillers; and it's almost as if he's trying very hard to revive those sorts of films. I thoroughly respect his work here. I have seen most of Antal's other films, and none of them are as good as this one here. I guess I was impressed so much by this film because it felt like an experience rather than a story. The plot itself is so damn confusing that it's almost not worth getting wrapped up in, at least not on a complex note. But if you allow your senses to look into this film and what it sets out to do, then "Kontroll" can be very entertaining. I guess I must give it bonus points for being good, since not many thrillers can be. But Antal knew what he wanted to do here; and that's why I must applaud the final product. The first two acts of the film are amusing and quite great; although the problem here is that the third act just gets annoyingly repetitive. With that being said, there's enough visual style and awesome music to keep this film going; and as a thriller, it keeps going for a good amount of time. As a genre film, it's nigh spectacular; and there's little to complain about when it comes down to the film's craft. It's an easy film to recommend; given the fast pacing, strong acting, and solid directing. There's not a whole lot to bash when it comes to the film; it's a pretty straight shooter as far as I'm concerned. And it's also one of the more thrilling entries to the "thriller" genre that I've seen recently; as well as the first full-out Hungarian film I've seen in my life-time. It seems like every nationality has style and artistic wit except for us Americans. Oh, how strange; but maybe we have Hollywood to blame for that. It's good to see that "Kontroll" is not a product of Hollywood; it is a film accompanied by artistry. I liked it; and given my recommendation, I hope that you do too. It's not flawless filmmaking; but there's a nice blend of humor and intensity going on that I just couldn't resist. This film has charm; and enough of it to be called absorbing. I can live with that. A ticket checker named Bulscu and his pals are working in a Metro System. This is virtually the only place they actually walk about in for the entire film; and believe me, they do plenty of walking. For the first good half of the movie, they all do some hilarious ticket checking; just doing their job in a particularly funny fashion. I found it pretty entertaining for a lot of the time, but "Kontroll" is yet more complex than most thrillers. The characters are endearing, and some of them even have inner demons that they need to overcome. There's also a mysterious, hooded figure who stalks the tracks. He might be the one who has been pushing passengers in front of the trains lately; and this has become a problem for our hero. There are a lot of problems that each character has to work around; and it's OK for the film to become confusing at times. In fact, a lot of it doesn't make sense, and for good reason. The film doesn't so much want to "tell a story", but it seems as if it just wants to give the viewer an experience. The soundtrack and the visuals help make this film a psychological delight for all those who can dig it. It's a cool little foreign thriller; and I can get in to that. I've seen good thrillers, and I've seen good foreign films (but hasn't everyone?). This film is both, and that is why it's a fun viewing experience for all who take the ride. It's a recommendation from me. Unlike a lot of Antal's other films, this one has characters. And it also has good actors to portray them. While there's' absolutely nothing in this film that could possibly make the story, acting, characters, of stylistic elements memorable, I think that each individual was smartly written. You've got Sandor Csanyi as your lovable hero; who shares much of the spotlight with his co-stars (which is a good thing, considering it's not always his show being run). Many of the actors may not be recognizable, although that doesn't really matter considering how good they are. This is a well-acted and well-cast movie; bearing interesting characters with interesting personalities. I could definitely enjoy myself given that particular aspect. There are not a lot of films out there (like this one) which have the gift of entertaining actors. But this is not ordinary thriller. A lot of films can be stylish, but they all lack substance. This is not one of those films; in fact, "Kontroll" is at best when it's using its stylish elements. The film makes good use of a cool soundtrack and excellent cinematography. The film feels good, and most of all, it feels cool. It's a hip movie if anything; and for once, I'm actually OK with that. I usually complain when a movie tries to be cool because frankly, it probably isn't cool. Most of the time, it's probably just dumb. But this film is not dumb; it's actually smarter than you would think. I enjoyed the film because despite its confusing depths, it made me think for a while. It has some rough edges no doubt, but I can get around all that. I chose to see things from Antal's point of view. I saw what he was trying to make with this movie; a unique film that is meant to be watched rather than told. It does not have a great plot, but there's enough humor and wit packed in this punchy director's piece to make it worthwhile. I suppose a lot of credit is due on Nimrod Antal's part, since he directs this film so darned well. He seems to have a knack for what he likes visually; but not so much a knack for pure brilliance. I feel that "Kontroll" could have been great if it hadn't had its little boring moments, but no luck there. Otherwise, it's a fun and quirky comedy-thriller. It has intensity, and most of all, it has a soul. It's a punch of a film; a movie that hits you hard. It takes you for a ride and doesn't let you leave until the very end, and there's something I both respect and admire about that. As I said, the film exists to be cool. But in doing so, it is a success, and it deserves to exist in this world. It's not generic, and it's rather fresh for a modern thriller. As far as those go, it's one of the better ones I've seen. I guess there's plenty to look out for there. We genuinely watch thrillers because like a good horror movie, they have the power to frighten, indulge, or even move us. This is not a thriller that hits you emotional; but it does have a stylish and artsy kick to it that I enjoyed looking in to. I guess you either like this movie or you don't; it's unique but definitely flawed. But aren't most films? This is one of those moments where I feel the best we can do is let the film exist. It is what it wants to be, and accomplishes just about everything that it wants to accomplish. As someone who's seen a lot of bad thrillers, this one stands out at least somewhat. I recommend it because in terms of style, it is a masterpiece. In terms of thrillers, it is almost great. It is spectacularly crafted, well-paced, and worth seeing by all means. There's enough good to overcome the bad in this situation; and I like how Antal seems to respect his audience rather than bombard them with ridiculous and annoying clichés. He has made a respectable product; a howling mad success of a film. It's not one of 2004's best films, but I sure as hell enjoyed the skill that went into making it. The film is set entirely in the Metro Station, and that alone should make it unique. But what Antal provides in terms of substance is what makes it an entertaining package, and you know what; I didn't mind it one bit. In fact, I quite liked it. I am not sure if it will fare well with everyone, but when it comes to personal taste, I was entertained by the thing. Now if only Antal could make a film like this again. It is very doubtful that he will, although there is always room for ever-so-wishful thinking. I suppose there always will be.

• Duncan R

  
  Pretty freakin' kewl... I'll write a review when I get to see it again.

• Marion R

  
  I really liked this film. This is right up my alley, it was gritty, funny, entertaining.

• FanGirl B

  
  Very slick and stylish. An interesting and very well made film.

Read all 15 featured audience ratings