TL;DR – While it has an intriguing concept at its heart, some serious technical issues and casting choices torpedo what could have been an engaging narrative.

Post-Credit Scene – There is an audio sting at the end of the credits.

Disclosure – I was sent a screener of this film.

Control Review –

Today, we are looking at a film that feels very in the now. It is looking at self-driving cars and the potential loss of control when we hand security over to technology for our own comfort. There is a lot of scope to do something interesting with that scenario that is not working in the bombast seen in films like The Fate of the Furious.

So to set the scene, after a long meeting and press, Prime Minister David Addams (Mark Hampton) lets Home Secretary Stella Simmons (Lauren Metcalfe) take his daughter Evie (Eire Farrell) home. Of course, things are slightly awkward because David and Stella are having a very public affair. It should be a simple trip, that is, until someone hijacks Stella’s self-driving car. There is a voice (Kevin Spacey) who is very unhappy with Stella and now has complete control over her vehicle.     

Now, to be clear, there are more than a few barriers to get into this film. For example, the film opens with a Prime Minister campaigning to open data up to big tech companies, which might be the one universally unpopular political position you could find yourself in these days. Or how people could be discussing an affair openly in front of people and the general public, but also including their child, and we are only five minutes into the proceedings. You would think governments would have policies for high-ranking officials like the Home Secretary, given this very scenario.  

Then, we must acknowledge the scandal-ridden elephant in the room, Kevin Spacey. There are few names as toxic as Kevin Spacey in Hollywood at the moment, given the many accusations made against him. I know that there is a movement to separate the art from the artist, but there are chasms too far to bridge. I mean, All the Money in the World went to the extent of re-filming everything he was in. The question then becomes, was the film improved by him being there? The short answer is No. As he is just a voice, and generally a flat voice performance at that, he does not add much to the proceedings, not even close to negating his presence. Also, it is just awkward to have an American voice in a profoundly British film, given the character roles they are meant to be playing. They have to insert dialogue to make it work, which makes it even more stilted.   

We also have some production issues with some awkward editing and some problems that can be overlooked given the budget, like repeated insert shots. However, other moments were clearly trying to cover for a lack of funding. I am not sure if this was intentional, but it felt like some parts of this film were shot in a mall, given how flat and unflattering the lighting was. Setting most of the movie inside a car was a good choice because it gives Lauren Metcalfe an excellent chance to emote the heck out of this role. But much of the film is just cutting between the same two or three different angles, which gets intensely repetitive.    

In the end, do we recommend Control? Well, Lauren Metcalfe is giving an excellent performance, and I don’t want to take away from that. But some serious technical issues and casting choices torpedo what could have been an exciting narrative. If you liked Control, we would recommend to you Kidnapping Stella.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Control?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Control
Directed by – Gene Fallaize
Written by – Gene Fallaize
Music by – Joseph Bennie
Cinematography by – Jamie Walker
Edited by – Joseph Bennie
Production/Distribution Companies – Tricoast Worldwide, Cupsogue Pictures, CineNorth Studios & Eagle Entertainment
Starring – Kevin Spacey, Lauren Metcalfe, Mark Hampton, Natasha Kemball, Eire Farrell, Aaron Liburd, Joshua Frater-Loughlin, Adam Southwick & Alexandra Hansler
Rating – Around an Australia: M;