Control

Shot in color but transferred to striking b&w, Anton Corbijn's recounting of the meteoric rise and fall of Ian Curtis, the troubled singer-songwriter of the late ‘70s British post-punk band Joy Division, combines musical biography with kitchen-sink melodrama to present an effective and intimate portrait. Despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that the script is based on the 1995 memoir Touching from a Distance by Curtis' widow Deborah, Control is actually stronger on the domestic than the musical side, although the somewhat oblique, elliptical storytelling style still leaves Ian—compellingly played by Sam Riley—a rather hazy figure. Initially seen as a thin, slightly goofy high school kid with a poetic streak and a drug habit, Curtis marries young and fathers a child, but life changes dramatically after he becomes the lead singer of a neighborhood pub band, performing his own songs in a jerky, almost robotic physical style (Curtis was also an epileptic) that draws notice and eventually leads to a record contract. However, Curtis' affair with a lovely Belgian groupie undermines his home life, creating pressure that ends in tragedy. In many ways, Control is another example of the much-repeated showbiz tale of a performer who rockets to fame but can't handle the consequences, but it's told here with sporadic dramatic power and a definite visual panache. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by producer/director Anton Corbijn, a 23-minute “making-of” featurette, “In Control: A Conversation with Anton Corbijn” (13 min.), nine minutes of extended live performances from the film, three music videos ( Joy Division's “Transmission” and “Atmosphere,” and The Killers' “Shadowplay”), a stills gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a solid bio-pic.] (F. Swietek)