Control (2007)

The critic calls it the film of the year and a glorious biography of Ian Curtis. He singles out the stunning high-contrast monochrome cinematography and the superb performances, particularly Sam Riley as Curtis.

Corbijn's naturalistic black-and-white film is an honourable, fact-based account of Ian Curtis's short life with strong performances, especially from Sam Riley, but it lacks flair and has pedestrian pacing.

Anton Corbijn's debut is an intimate and affecting biopic that excels by focusing on the human elements of Curtis's life and struggles. The cast's live musical performances and Sam Riley's lead turn are singled out as exceptional.

Corbijn's debut refuses myth-making in favour of a human, poignant portrait of Ian Curtis as a vulnerable young man. Greenhalgh’s intelligent script is praised for demystifying the subject into a vividly human tragedy.

The film maintains a beautiful poise and an unmistakable pulse between Curtis's extraordinary stage presence and the ordinariness of his life. Corbijn's first feature shows restraint and a wiry, electric tension.

Corbijn delivers a sombre, grounded black-and-white biopic of Ian Curtis that is more serious than prior films on the Manchester scene. The live performance scenes stand out for their energy and authenticity.

Riley gives a perfect performance and the concert recreations are exciting, but the film wastes its kinetic first hour on a turgid second half focused on mundane domestic details instead of illuminating the music's power.

Control is hypnotic and tragically fated with strong performances, especially Riley's, but Corbijn's literal approach results in a kitchen-sink realism that feels scrubbed clean and fails to fully illuminate its subject.

The film captures the period nicely with decent performances but fails to make the case for its fallen star or explain his appeal beyond a small circle.

Corbijn's Control succeeds as a naturalistic kitchen-sink drama about Ian Curtis, with a standout debut performance from Sam Riley that humanizes the story and adds unexpected dry humor while avoiding biopic clichés.

The film resists turning Ian Curtis's story into pop martyrology, remaining enigmatic and moving like Joy Division’s songs. It is both stylized and straightforward in its pale black-and-white palette, avoiding overstatement while generating intensity.

The somber, sad and compelling Ian Curtis biopic is a riveting, visually arresting portrait of a tormented soul. First-time director Anton Corbijn presents working-class Northern England in a wide range of appealing grays.

The critic calls the film an artful and powerful biopic that avoids typical music-biopic clichés by focusing on Ian Curtis as a tragic figure rather than explaining his art. It singles out Sam Riley's revelatory performance and the black-and-white visual style that reflects Curtis's inner despair for praise.

The critic praises the film's grainy monochrome cinematography that finds brutal beauty in the gloom and Sam Riley's uncannily authentic, electrifying performance as Ian Curtis. Minor complaints about pacing that flags at times and underdeveloped female characters, but overall it is a hugely accomplished and stunning debut that lingers long after the final note.

The review finds that the film tells Curtis's story effectively with strong performances and fitting black-and-white cinematography, but ultimately feels disappointing as just another prettier version of a familiar music-biopic tale that fails to achieve deeper significance.

The critic finds the film a disappointment and mostly unremarkable, despite anticipation. They single out the strong supporting performances but criticize the unexceptional story and script as the main failing.

The critic calls it an instant classic and nearly a masterpiece, praising its portrayal of a tormented soul. They single out the flawless black-and-white cinematography and Sam Riley's subtle, inhabited performance as Ian Curtis.