Visually and musically satisfying

Rating: 7/10 (2 November 2007)

I expected a lot from "Control" after reading one or two glowing reviews and mostly I was not disappointed. It was every bit as gorgeous visually as the reviews led me to believe, and the music was enthralling, as I imagine it would have been watching Joy Division in person. However, I didn't find the emotional story as convincing.
The actors were all terrific, from leads Sam Riley as Ian Curtis and Samantha Morton as his wife Deborah down to the extras at shows, but special mention should go to Tony Kebbell as manager Rob Gretton, and Eady Williams as the Curtis' baby Natalie.
Despite the overall gloom of the story, this movie has moments of great humor and beauty. However, I was not emotionally convinced by the on screen relationship between Ian and Annik. As portrayed by Alexandra Maria Lara, Annik is pretty, but otherwise not very substantive. This is understandable when you remember that the movie is based on the book written by Ian's wife.
I was also not very moved by the depiction of Ian Curtis's epilepsy and the difficulties he had with his medications. I never really felt what it was like to BE Ian; mostly I saw a mopey bastard who was a neglectful father and cheating husband. In turn, I was not much moved by Ian's eventual demise, because the build-up wasn't convincing.
I found Sam Riley's performance mesmerizing, but there were too many moody shots of him walking around in his trench coat.