User reviews

I just saw this film in a cinema in Bahrain, I think 2 years after it came out, or rather didn't come out in cinemas, as it went straight to DVD. When I think of all the rubbish that gets into the cinema, that's just insulting.

I saw it 'cos of Defoe and Liotta, 2 of the greatest actors in cinema today. Yes, the film had some cheesy moments, but this is still a good film. The acting from Defoe and Liotta is generally excellent, and this is a good story, though it could have done with some better editing. Stephen Rea does a good job as Dafoe's boss, and whilst the ending is a bit predictable, it's a reasonable way to spend 2 hours or so.

The alternative is watching something by Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller, none of which goes straight to video, and shows why the movie business is sometimes the craziest business in the world.

Watch 2 great actors doing what they do best and enjoy that movies like this still get made. It's really quite good.

i've been waiting for this movie for almost one and a half years now. as an admirer of ray liotta i have been searching the web weekly for new information, and when i saw the possibility to purchase it by a Scandinavian DVD online store, i almost freaked out.

so i finally saw it yesterday evening. luckily i saw the weak action filled trailer recently and did not expect too much. i truly enjoyed the first 30 minutes, following the convicts (liotta) fake death and his introduction to the doctors medical experience program. the beginning creates a very creepy atmosphere, liotta and dafoe play awesome as they always do (despite the boring lighting there are some great close ups of them) and the quick story telling made me hope for a decent thriller like narc or phoenix.

but then the movie turns simply into the wrong direction. the ultimate killer gets unleashed to society after changing to a normal person suddenly. the story focuses on his regrets of his past and his love to theresa (rodriguez), giving the horrible b-movie cast more screen time.

the ending is simply not satisfying and leaves you begging for more. what could have been a deeply psychological thriller which deals about the unique of a mans mind or the value of human live turns out to a everyday thriller.

because of my hero and the terrific beginning i gave it a 7 out of 10, which is more than it deserves

The sociopath killer Lee Ray Oliver (Ray Liotta) is sentenced to death by lethal injection. Dr. Michael Copeland (Willem Dafoe) offers him the chance to be a test subject of an experimental drug intended to reduce the aggressive behavior of the patient. Lee accepts the terms and after a successful treatment in the laboratory, gets a new identity and chance in life. However, his past haunts him.

"Control" is a very promising thriller with a great beginning, which hooks the attention of the viewer. The attractive cast has names such as Willem Dafoe, Ray Liotta, Michelle Rodriguez, Stephen Rea and Polly Walker. I really expected an excellent film, after watching the first part of this film, but unfortunately, after the last plot point, the screenplay has a horrible conclusion., spoiling what could have been a great movie. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Control"

I have always been a fan of Ray Liota and Willem Dafoe, so I checked out this movie. It sounded like it had potential to be a good film, both plot and acting wise. It does have potential, but I felt some points in the movie dragged and weakened. Liota's character, although well acted, seemed to have too drastic a turn around in too short a time to really show the process and allow the viewer to relate. There is nothing terribly wrong with this film, other than it's ending which was entirely expected, felt rushed, clichéd, and under-developed. If you have nothing better to do on a Wednesday night, then I recommend this movie, but if you have something better to do with your two hours, don't waste your time.

"Control" is a mediocre drama which tells of a violent killer (Liotta) who undergoes a mock execution only to find himself as a test subject for a new drug developed for controlling violent behavior. Liotta is at the vortex of this film with Dafoe as his experiment supervisor, Walker as Dafoe's ex, Robertson as Dafoe's post-doc helper/lover, Rodriguez as Liotta's girlfriend, and Rea in a bit part as the director of the pharmaceutical company. As the film unfolds, it dips and delves into a little action, a tiny bit of romance, a lot of less than subtle drama, and some side plots which never go anywhere. Overall, "Control" is average escapist entertainment for the action/drama junkie which should play best with Liotta and Dafoe fans. (B-)

OK, the plot is nothing special. Willem Dafoe is a doctor who directs a research on a drug that has potentials to remove criminal tendencies of a man. Ray Liotta is a serial murderer, a death row convict who becomes his test subject. Dafoe places Liotta in controlled social environment after first part of the experiment looked promising. But things went wrong.

Liotta is the major reason to watch this film. Really it's a treat every time to watch him in the role of a criminal. But who cares? He's still very much underrated by the industry. Anyways, Dafoe and Michelle Rodriguez are also fine. But the actors are not helped much by the screenplay. It is weak, often predictable, sometimes filled with unnecessary subplots and the ending is really unsatisfactory. I expected more surprises in the story... but it turned out to be just as I foresaw after half-an-hour of the film.

Main character is a aggressive, remorseless psychopath. Doctors give him pills in order to become less aggressive and to be able to feel remorse. At first, the pills have no effect. Then, they suddenly do seem to have an effect, and they let him out in the society, in his own hometown. He continue to behave like a nice guy. The movie is unrealistic in so many ways. At the beginning of the movie, why does the doctor visit him unprotected, making it easy (and almost predictable) for the psychopath to attack him? Why would they want to let a guy who have committed several killings and serious crimes be released? Why put him in his hometown where people could recognize him? And so on... There are lots of other things too that are quite annoying to watch. As a defense, I should add that dangerous people actually ARE let out in the society, often by gullible people who think they are cured, or woo think they just deserve to be free. But a multiple killer..? Some may think the story in itself - about modifying people's characteristics - is fascinating. I think so too - that's why I watched the movie. But the story could have been made far better and far less shallow.

Genre: Psychological thriller

The Tale: criminal comes back to live after execution, surrounded by some unknown people who offer him a second change....

Why do you want to see this move ? because its a nice movie with a good storyline and excellent performance of Mr. Ray Liotta did also played in Turbulence /Copland / etc.).The story Keeps you in suspense, but can be sometimes a little bit confusing for the average or young viewer.

Conclussion: I liked the movie , but it wont be in my top10 list, although I will definitely recommend the movie to all my friends and people who like thrillers with a twist

"Control" had a good premise and idea. With Ray Liota playing a character sentenced to death but who is given a chance for freedom if he participates in an experiment to suppress his violent urges. What could have been an interesting character study about redemption ultimately became a sub-par often melodramatic movie that failed to deliver even the slightest bit of inside on the subject.

Liota stars as Lee Ray Oliver a murderer sentenced to death but given a second chance if he participates in a chemical behavioral modification program run by Dr. Michael Copeland (played by William Defoe). The movie's first problem becomes quite apparent after a short while, Liota's character isn't portrayed as a truly evil person, yes he is shown killing people but only members of the mafia, in fact his only civilian victim doesn't even die. Which from the viewer's perspective partly ruins the motivation for the treatment Lee Ray is undertaking.

The movie's plot feels confusing not because its hard to understand but because it doesn't know what direction to take. There are actually several sub-plots in it all of which after the final scene feel unfinished, and while some could have played a role in showing Liota's character new found compassion, rather ineffectively if I might add, there is the one dealing with Defoe's character that doesn't have any sort of impact on the central plot. The movie's direction does nothing to cloud the badly written plot, with a heavy dose of mediocrity it feels like you're watching a made for TV production.

The only reason this is worth watching is the acting. With some decent to good performances by Liota, Defoe and Rodriguez (who plays Lee Ray's girlfriend in one of the sub-plots). Regrettably the supporting cast fails to keep on their level, making a lot of the supporting characters annoying or just simply badly acted.

In the end "Control" fails to impress or use it's interesting ala "Clockwork Orange" premise. Giving us a final product whose melodramatic ending doesn't succeed in achieving any sort of emotional response from the viewer.

It looks Like "Control" fell through the cracks for a theatrical release. Just because it's Direct To Video, doesn't mean it's awful. It is not. All the performances are first-rate especially Ray Liotta. He does a great job as the reformed killer. Willem Dafoe is his usual good self as the helpful doctor. The weakest point in the movie is the ending. It feels rushed and pat. Besides that, this is a pretty clever movie that is worth checking out."Control" has a near-perfect balance of action,suspense and emotion. Just pretend you didn't see the ending. The scene before that is powerful if a little clichéd.

Hopefully Ray Liotta can be nominated for a DVD Exclusive (An award show that showcases the best in direct to video) Award when the time comes.

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A killer on death row, his faked death and you are the subject. Presented by brilliant analogy, society's bad habits when it relates to the criminal justice system. Forget the victim? Have mercy on the criminal? Set the criminal free while one vic remains a veggie with a bullet in the brain and the others are pushing daisies? You are trapped from start to finish. We are given all the facts and even made to watch a slow motion scene three times - where the killer shoots an innocent guy in the head - but we quickly forgive all this and sympathize with the criminal. You'll root for the "bad guy", despise the relatives of the victim, loath the guys who want revenge on him for killing their friends, and hope he eludes the team of researchers who decide he really should be dead, after all. You are IN Control.

One wonders why the likes of Ray Liotta, Willem Dafoe, and Stephen Rea would sign on to do a film like this. I seriously hope they actually read the horrible story before agreeing to it.

A complete garbage story about a convict saved from execution by being a guinea pig for a doctor. The deal includes trying out a medication that will erase the harmful tendencies of the convicts past, trying to make him a better person for society.

I gave it a chance but after about 30 minutes, I realized this story was formed around a single idea and the rest was just filled in along the way. That characters are underdeveloped and you never really get a liking for any of them. Then before you know it, its over, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The film feels like a movie of the week based on a cheap page turning novel you pick up before you get on an airplane.

Unfortunately Liotta and Dafoe don't help. They over-act, probably to compensate for the poor plot.

Skip this one if you can. Waste of time.

make that 7.5... frustrating that half points aren't allowed!!!

CONTROL was on the budget section in my rental store. I didn't expect much! I was very pleasantly surprised.

Sure, I have seen better thrillers... ... but I have seen much worse! Ray Liotta gives his best performance to date, IMHO, and Willem Dafoe is also excellent and believable as his character.

I am not going to talk much about the film, save to say... WATCH IT... and make your own mind up! Me?

I thought the ending was absolutely fine, and fitting for what preceded! I also have my wife's permission to say so... and she is never wrong!!!

I agree with most other reviewers that this is a movie that was on the verge of profound resonance until its hackneyed end, and I don't understand why the obvious intelligence of the people involved degenerated into irrelevant clichés. Maybe there were financial constraints that kept them from developing the ironies the screenplay presented. But I wish they'd let the Liotta character live in the end, severely wounded perhaps but much much wiser about who he'd been and what he'd become. (His placebo pills reminded me of Dumbo's magic feather). The clumsy end cut off any hope of a satisfying catharsis -- not a happy ending maybe but one that left him to conjure with the implications of his emotional evolution.

This movie seems so unbelievable that it was a bit hard for me to watch it till the end. But only Ray Liotta's presence helped me out. William Dafoe is also good, but his character is not the most important. Ray Liotta - RIP - made so many little features such as this one, most of them forgettable, where he played bad guys, borderline cops, f...up characters of all kind, that it is difficult to say how many exactly...Some of them will emerge from the batch however. Maybe not this one though. Some lousy scenes show that the director did not mind at all of what he did. For instance, after William Dafoe's character hits Liotta in the face several times in a row, in a rage mood, Liotta stand up from the floor with only a bit blood under the nose...It's nothing, just a detail, but that's enough for me to see what kind of junk thos movie is. You can live without it, Ray Liotta or not.

There are good films and there are bad films, but 'Control' is probably neither of those - it's just 'watchable' (but in a good way!). There's nothing particularly special about it, but I can't really think of too much that's wrong with it. Ray Liotta plays a dangerous convict who's 'executed' by the state, only to wake up and find that he can either be part of a clinical trial for a new drug which suppresses his violent tendencies (either that or be put back in the executioner's chair and let justice take its course).

Obviously, he chooses the drug (otherwise it would have been one hell of a short film!). Once he's taking it twice a day he's overseen by a doctor (William Defoe) and the results monitored.

I didn't know what to expect from the film, or where it was going. About the first third is taken up in the lab, before he's finally 'released' (i.e. under supervision) in the community with the effects monitored.

Now, what follows is the tale of his 'rehabilitation' into society (and society's attempt at pulling back into his own violent ways!). Let's just say that it all doesn't really go according to plan and the film turns into a kind of low budget 'Bourne-like' game of cat and mouse between Liotta and those wanting to disrupt his new life in one way or another.

It's basically a chase/thriller by the numbers. I know that could be a flaw, but it's perfectly enjoyable for what it is. The cast is hardly mega A-list, but they all play their parts well. The story - again - is nothing exceptional, but is also very easy to watch. There's no memorable soundtrack to speak of and the direction certainly won't blow you away, so if the film has any sort of flaw it's simply that it's nothing new in any way, shape or form. However, if you've had a long day and don't really want anything that is trying to turn the film-making process on its head then you could do worse than sit down and rest your brain with 'Control.'

Severely abused and traumatized as a child, psychopathic Ray Liotta (as Lee Ray Oliver) is executed as an adult, by lethal injection… no, wait… Mr. Liotta wakes up in the care of likewise rough-looking but kindly doctor Willem Dafoe (as Michael Copeland). The hardened criminal is invited to participate in a medical research project; by taking a behavior modifying drug, Liotta will suppress violent tendencies and hopefully bring out remorse. Liotta answers, "I like drugs," but is disappointed when Mr. Dafoe tells him the drug has no narcotic effect. He beats up everybody and tries to escape, but Liotta takes his pills...

Liotta proves to be a tough nut to crack, and some feel he is "faking it," but he is eventually deemed ready for the next phase of the experiment. Liotta is given an ankle bracelet, a monitored apartment, and some money to get started. So, what's going on with this dude… the best thing is, you can't really be sure. While Liotta and director Tim Hunter keep it tense and unpredictable, we meet the outside forces. His biggest threat appears to be Tim DeKay (as William "Bill" Caputo), brother of brain-damaged Liotta victim Mark Pickard (as Gary Caputo). Mr. DeKay seems badly in need of Dafoe's behavior modification pills...

Liotta's hair and make-up does become distracting, especially during the second half, because this type of character probably wouldn't wear such obvious eyeliner without some explanation. Maybe he was in an '80s hair band... The "life flashes before your eyes" moment and blood drop forming a "chip on your shoulder" are well done. Characterizations are strong...

From the beginning, we are given layers of nicely developed and carefully revealed facts about the co-starring characters played by Liotta and Dafoe. After Liotta becomes "Joe Monroe", he meets love interest Michelle Rodriguez (as Teresa), who becomes a believable attraction due to her own "starting over" story. It's also interesting to compare their "crime and punishment" state of affairs with DeKay's vengeful low-life. The four are intertwined nicely by writers Darren Swimmer and Todd Slavkin with director Tim Hunter. Excellent job, but the final sequences include a too definitive shock for one of the characters.

******* Control (12/7/04) Tim Hunter ~ Ray Liotta, Willem Dafoe, Michelle Rodriguez, Tim DeKay

In the film "Control" a doctor, (Willem Dafoe), is attempting to transform a violent criminal (Ray Liotta), into an acceptable citizen, through the use of an experimental drug. The story immediately involves suspending disbelief, as the convict, is spared death by lethal injection, to be released into the care of a pharmaceutical company for closely monitored experimentation. The fact that the pharma. company has their own goon squad to shadow the subject's every move, is a real stretch. Unlikely coincidences abound, like a pair of bolt cutters that just happen to be in the right place at the right time. The plot bumps along with few surprises to a rather rushed conclusion. The main interest in "Control" is seeing the two fine actors, Ray Liotta, and Willem Dafoe, on the screen together for the first time, and that is precisely why it is watchable. - MERK

I am an IMDb regular but have only just joined now. I joined because after having seen this movie I was anxious to see just how much other people hated it too, alas, they seem to like it. The film is awful. It has the premise for a good movie otherwise I wouldn't have got it out from the store. The plot and characters hold water, there are more holes than a siv, and the film has a lot less use. I tried to like it, and the actors aren't bad at all, it even has Michelle Rodriguez, which could make any film watchable - on looks alone. But the film is terrible, please don't get it out, I won't go into any plot points as I have a gripe with far too many of them - I'll sum it up by telling you that it's the kind of film where things are literally spelt out to you, nothing is left to interpretation. Maybe if it was you may have managed to miss some of the awfulness of this movie. Be warned.

Control is a thrilling ride that hooks you from the get-go. It's has all the elements of a great suspense flick: a tight plot, top-notch acting, and enough twists to keep you guessing.

The characters feel real enough, with sufficient depth to make you care about their fates. As the story unfolds, you'll find yourself keen to discover what happens next.

It's the kind of movie that sticks with you long after the credits roll, leaving you pondering its themes and intricacies.

Great, expcted, performances from both Liotta and Defoe.

Overall, Control is a must-watch for anyone who loves a good thriller and good actors :)

The characters in this movie are perfectly casted. The acting was actually pretty good in Control. The storyline was really interesting and i enjoyed it, there was still a little something i think that was needed to make it an absolute great movie. I thought the ending could of been made a lot better, but other than that pretty good movie!