--- title: "Control: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/control/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/control" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 13 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Control (2007): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 13 reviews: 9 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics respond warmly to Control, with praise clustering around Sam Riley’s performance as Ian Curtis, the black-and-white photography and the energy of the live music scenes. The favourable reviews find Anton Corbijn’s approach restrained and affecting, presenting a vulnerable young man rather than polishing a musical legend. Several also value the ordinary domestic detail and dry humour, which give the familiar biographical material a more human scale. The spread of opinion is wide, and the disagreements centre on what that restraint leaves unexplained. The AV Club praises Riley and the concert recreations but finds the second half bogged down in domestic detail; The Hollywood Reporter argues that the film never adequately establishes Curtis’s appeal. Elsewhere, reservations concern uneven pacing, underdeveloped female characters and a script some find too literal or familiar, even when the performances and period atmosphere retain their admirers. ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 5/5. 5 October 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/oct/05/popandrock.joydivision) ## Evening Standard — Derek Malcolm Rating 4/5. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/sams-the-man-taking-control-6583588.html) ## Radio Times — Sloan Freer Rating 4/5. 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-q7nbqm/control/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2007. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/features/control/4032595.article) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 October 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/10/15/leaving-it-all-behind) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 1 October 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/control) ## The AV Club — Noel Murray Rating B-. 12 October 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/control-1798203187) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/control/) ## The Hollywood Reporter Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 17 May 2007. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/control-158182/) ## Empire — Damon Wise 28 September 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/control-2-review/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 10 October 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/movies/10cont.html) ## Variety — Russell Edwards 9 June 2007. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/control-3-1200558687/) ## Collider — Jacob Slankard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 February 2025. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/control-movie-ian-curtis-biopic/) ## The Skinny — Laura Smith Rating ★★★★. 8 October 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/control) ## Paste — Paste Staff Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 19 October 2007. 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. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/anton-corbijn/control-2) ## The Playlist — Rodrigo Perez Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2007. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-corbijns-not-so-in-contro-20070910/) ## Eye for Film — Dylan Matthew 21 August 2007. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/control-film-review-by-dylan-matthew) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/control.md