Control

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.

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-)

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.

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.