User Reviews

For the first half of the hour it kept my attention, for the next half an hour I was more and more indifferent, and then I was barely waiting for it to finish. Although I did not like the movie much, I have to admit that it has that something that every big movie must have. It left an impression that won't fade soon. Objectively, though I think that's not the case, there is a possibility that I did not understand (enough), so I do not consider myself competent to criticize it. Subjectively, I like the acting and the striking mystical atmosphere created by the combination of directing, music and the fact that the entire film is taking place in the metro network of Budapest, but the story is too confusing, vague and without context. However, as this is Nimrod Antal's both writing and directing debut, I can not go below

7/10

!!! SPOILER ALERT !!!

I'm not sure whether Bulcsu had a split personality, and unknowingly killed all those people, or the killer was someone else, or whether the scene where he leaves the killer behind to be run over by the train was an actual event or just a symbolic release from his own dark side...

This is an average and highly overrated movie! Do not misunderstood me, there are a lot of good moments in it (a lot more better than the other movies in my little country), but there are nothing really special! The funny thing is that the first hour of the movie is a comedy, but then it is a hardcore thriller. It is really interesting, do not you think? The directing, the cinematography, the acting and the music (composed by a Hungarian team called: NEO) was cool, but this movie not so good enough (there are a lot of missing things) for me, I think it is not so original (some ideas are stoled from foreign movies). And the other reasons of my vote: there is still hope that Hungarian movies can be a lot more better than present days - this is a great beginning. That is why my rating is only 6 out of 10.

A bleak picture of life down below the streets of Budapest Viewed at the 2004 Hungarian film week in Budapest. image1.jpeg Kontrol" was the feature debut of 29 year old, Nimród Antal, and picked up three awards; the Simo Sándor prize for Best First Film, a Best Cinematography award, and the foreign critics award in the name of Gene Moskowitz, long-gone but well remembered Variety critic. Moskowitz is particularly honored here because he was one of the very first American film reviewers to write extensively about Hungarian movies. "Kontrol" was also cited as the "most successful box-office Hungarian film of 2003" - so it is obviously saying something to local audiences many of whom ride the extensive and aging (one of the oldest in Europe) Budapest metro system every day. Whether it will have as much to say to average non-Hungarian filmgoers is another question, being that it is quite dark and depressing with very scruffy characters, and filmed entirely underground IN the Budapest Metro. It must be pointed out that there has long been a kind "honor system" in effect here on public transport where one can easily get into the metro without a ticket, but if the "controllers", appearing randomly here and there, catch you there is a heavy fine to be paid. Needless to say controllers are not too popular and one thing the film is maybe trying to say is that these people are really not quite the monsters they look like in the poster for the film, but just guys down on their luck recruited to do a dirty job. Filmed in a semi-surrealistic style with a popular actress (Eszenyi Enikó) appearing in a life-size bunny rabbit costume at regular intervals, and a mysterious platform prowler who sneaks around and tosses people onto the tracks, "Kontrol" undoubtedly has a certain kind of cinematic savvy and raw energy which indicates that director Nimrod is a comer to be watched. This picture is a natural for the film festival circuit and will undoubtedly be turning up at festivals all over the world in the coming twelve months but it is basically too bleak and far-out for commercial distribution although it could have a chance here and there in cities with big underground systems. Sándor Csányi, Lead actor of this ensemble underground cast won a Hungarian critics prize and emerged from Kontrol. as a major new star.

Kontroll is a character-driven film; the (often surreal) storyline is little more than a carriage for the portrayal of the skewed lives and minds of Bulcsú, a ticket inspector on an undisclosed underground railway system (filmed in Budapest, but as the clip at the start of the film emphasises, no connection should be made), his colleagues, bosses, and a sample of passengers.

It is a tale of redemption - as I see it, the hooded man is Bulcsú's fear, or the Evil; Belá's daughter is his salvation, or the Good. The tunnel sequence shows Good making Bulcsú find and confront his fear; in the end, he does and leaves the station to enter the outside world. It also gives an interesting look at the psyche of a ticket inspector (I assume the psychiatrist montage is based on research).

*SPOILER ALERT* (if you haven't seen this film yet, skip to *CONCLUSION*

The first part of the film highlights the rivalry between Bulcsú and his team, and the "best" team in that system (led by Gonzó). It also introduces the mysterious hooded figure, who pushes people seemingly at random in front of trains. The entire film seems "real" - the characters are 3D, and their interaction does not greatly further the plot; this is particularly evident in the first 10 or 20 minutes.

It then heads into darker territory; the incident with Laci, Bulcsú's first interaction with the hooded guy, and the f*cked up tunnel thing. The change is most dramatic in the scene where the runner (whom i thought was called Bootsie, but doesn't seem to be in the credits) is killed - one of my favourite scenes in the film.

In the end, Bulcsú overcomes his fear of the hooded man, and eventually his fear of the outside world, and everybody's happy (well, Bulcsú is at least =P )

*CONCLUSION*

The film is different, and plays with the viewers' emotions - the startling switch between comedy and thriller, everyday and surreal - and does it well.

This is definitely a film to watch, and bodes well for Hungary's future in film-making.

~pr0ph37~

There are those jobs in life in which the job becomes the person's complete identity. Preacher. Policeman. President. Suppose you had one of those jobs in which convey a very negative identity. A job in which everyone hated and loathed you. I don't mean just looked down on like a garbage collector or feared like a policeman, but just purely despised. The movie "Kontroll" operates within this context: the world of ticket inspectors in the Budapest underground metro system.

Now I need to explain a bit of this unique context. Like most transit systems in the world, you need to have some sort of ticket or pass to ride. What makes the Budapest system different from many is that there are no physical barriers- turnstiles or gates- that you must pass through for you to get onto the trains. It is completely possible to use the system free of charge with little effort. Those of us who live here call it "black riding". It happens a lot. To combat "black riders", the mass transit company has a small army of plain clothes ticket inspectors who often pop out of the crowd in a train, tram, or bus, put on an armband (their only piece of uniform) and greet you, "Jo napot kivanok". Literally that's, "I wish you a good day". In reality it's, "Show me your ticket, or else." Now about the movie. Up front I need to tell you that after a single viewing I think this might be one of my top ten favorite movies. Easy. But before you rush out and watch the film on my recommendation- some have recently been disappointed with my recommendations- I need to make a couple of caveats. First of all, this movie is steeped in dark symbolism and psychology. If you felt that the ending of Fight Club was a little too weird for you, then you won't like Kontroll. The movie doesn't easily resolve either. So, if you're comfortable with dark symbolism, depressive psychology, and murky resolution, then this is your movie.

Kontroll actually came out about 18 months ago in Budapest. The posters made it look like a cute comedy about ticket inspectors and it really didn't pique my interest until my friend Gabi saw it. This movie is no comedy. Kontroll is one of the best views into the world of depression, despair, and angst. Leave it to the Hungarians to make the perfect movie on these subject (I'm not ragging on my Hungarian friends here... I think that they would all agree with me).

The music, the visuals, the situations, the writing, and the acting blend well and create an atmosphere that is believable and characters that you really care about. The impetus for watching the film was simply to see a movie filmed in the underground metro of my home town. I thought it would be something to recommend to the folks back in America for a glimpse of what life is like here in Budapest. The underground metro of the movie is a bit more edgy and macabre than the reality of the underground. What it does capture well is the sense of spiritual and psychological reality of Budapest itself.

And now for the best part. (Am I gushing yet?). Kontroll is one of those movies that- and probably by accident- captures the reality the true Narative we all live in whether it is Budapest or Atlanta. The story boils down to the struggle of evil in ourselves and our need of a redemptive agent to free us from a fallen world. I'm not sure that Nimród Antal necessarily intended this much for his film, but I think that the Narative we live in just shines through some works of art despite the artist. This happens in Shindler's List as well. Yes, I just compared this movie to Schindler's List.

If you want to see what life "looks" like in Budapest, then rent a tourism video. If you want to see what life "seems" like here (and maybe where you live too), then you gotta see this film.