Reviews

I went to this film thinking I was going to see a fairly straightforward (for an Eastern film) revenge thriller, with a healthy side-order of blood. Boy, was I in for a surprise.

The film starts on a relatively high note - even though the Ryu's sister needs a transplant, and even after Ryu get his kidney stolen and they kidnap Park's kid, the film's style remains light. However, it slowly (and I mean slowly; this film is /very/ drawn out) blossoms into a complex web of vengeance, as the body count rises.

Having said that, there is not much gore - what there is, however, is concentrated and refined, so it cuts into your nerves. I was beginning to despair of seeing some actual violence until the baseball bat scene (which i *loved*) - don't get me wrong, i'm not a gore nut, but the film is quite, i don't know....minimalist. The violence is well-orchestrated, and used to maximum effect.

The ending scene with Ryu and Park in the river is one of those increasingly rare moments of genius - its not spectacular, or climactic, but it just fits excellently with the mood of the film, and says all that needs to be said. Having said that, I did feel Park's death was a let-down - not especially bad, but story wise, just not up to par with the rest of the film (though the direction was still spot on).

The only oddity i found was the water still being on the floor when the police guy comes round to Park's house....i presumed the scene with his daughter was a dream =S

*CONCLUSION*

In short, this is an excellent (and very personal) film, but could benefit from an increased pace - it felt like much longer than the two hours of its running time, and partway through I was having doubts about its quality. However, the storyline is nicely formed, and easy to follow, and the characters, while not being the most openly emotional, still have a roughness which makes them believable.

Stunning acting from Ha-kyun Shin and Kang-ho Song, and if the rumors of Oldboy being even better are true, then this director is definitely one to watch.

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~