Overview
Dive into the darkly comedic world of Budapest's underground metro, where the absurd meets the eerie.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- dark
- bleak
- gritty
- late night viewing
- double feature with dark comedies
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Kontroll as a smart, darkly funny thriller distinguished by its atmospheric metro setting, kinetic action, and strong character control.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Bulcsú and the other controllers endure arbitrary competition, indifferent passengers, and pressure from metro authorities.
The Budapest metro operates as a perpetual-night world separated from ordinary surface life, filled with ghostly passengers and ominous tunnels.
Bulcsú has left surface life behind and now sleeps and lives inside the underground metro system.
The underground transit system and its authoritarian routines function as an allegorical Eastern European social order.
Films like Kontroll, and why
After Hours
Shared darkly comic thriller tone, surreal urban setting, and alienated characters navigating an oppressive underground world.
The Warriors
Shared black humor, heightened reality, nocturnal city atmosphere, and protagonists trapped in escalating cycles of pursuit.
The Incident
Shared claustrophobic transit setting, grotesque social allegory, and bleakly comic confrontation with institutional absurdity.
The City of Lost Children
Shared Eastern European atmosphere, surreal mystery, and grim comic treatment of alienation and hidden violence.
Movie Details
- Director
- Nimród Antal
- Release Date
- 2003-11-20
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (314)
Cast
- Sándor Csányi
- Zoltán Mucsi
- Csaba Pindroch
- Sándor Badár
- Zsolt Nagy
- Balla Eszter
- Lajos Kovács
- Bence Mátyássy
- Győző Szabó
- Péter Scherer
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Fandor Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Kontroll about?
- A disgraced ticket inspector finds himself policing a nightmarish Budapest metro where workplace rivalry, romance, and a serial killer threaten to break the system's fragile order.
- What is Kontroll like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Kontroll as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Kontroll violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Kontroll as moderate.
- What did critics think of Kontroll?
- Critics broadly praised Kontroll as a smart, darkly funny thriller distinguished by its atmospheric metro setting, kinetic action, and strong character control.
- Which films are like Kontroll?
- Films with a similar feel include After Hours, The Warriors, The Incident, and The City of Lost Children.
- How long is Kontroll?
- Kontroll runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch Kontroll?
- In United States, Kontroll streams on Fandor Amazon Channel.
