Control Factor (2003)

I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

An absolute waste of money

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Affable everyman insurance agent Lance Bishop (a lively and engaging performance by Adam Baldwin) discovers that he's the unwitting subject of a nefarious mind control experiment being conducted by some shady secret government agency. Assisted by angry ghetto resident Reggie (a typically fine Tony Todd), Lance becomes determined to expose said evil plot to a blithely ignorant and apathetic outside world. Director Nelson McCormick, working from an absorbing script by John Dombrow, relates the compelling story at a constant brisk pace, builds a good deal of tension, creates a suitably edgy and paranoid atmosphere, and further spruces things up with a galvanizing flashy and glossy hopped-up style. Better still, there's a strong and provocative central theme about fate vs. free will, the narrative delivers a couple of genuinely surprising twists, and the whole thing bravely concludes on an effectively ambiguous and ambivalent note. The sturdy acting helps a lot: Baldwin makes for a sympathetic protagonist, Todd does well in his role, Elizabeth Berkley is likewise excellent as Lance's lovely wife Karen, Conrad Dunn contributes a memorably slimy turn as slippery agent Thrillkill, and John Neville has a neat bit as the sinister director who runs the operation. Rudolf Blahacek's slick, fluid, and agile cinematography gives the picture impressively sleek look. Pete Kreser's moody and elegant score also hits the spot. A nice little movie.

I've been having an ongoing conversation with a friend of mine who has conflicting comments about specific episodes of Stargate Atlantis when the rare gems of hard scifi scripts appear. This film is like one of those episodes.It is rare to see a good script turned into something with stars, cash and the promotion behind it. This particular Baldwin is most definitely a blockbuster actor and I don't feel the 'family curse' extends to him. With more money you might feel this movie could be right up there on the billboards. Unfortunately it is hard scifi and the masses wouldn't cope with it. They want the softer, soapier stories and if that is what gets the blanket scifi genre out there as a viable product, so be it.But every so often, there comes a tvseries or film that gives us hard scifi fans so much enjoyment that we collect together and make our views known. This film has its faults. The soundtrack feels separated from the lacking environmental sounds, the ending seems a bit rushed. There are many things that could be done better and a lot of these things appear to be to do with camera angles/direction and timings of specific shots/scenes.We don't say everyone must immediately watch this or that DVD. We are here however unanimous in saying, "Control Factor is a gem of a movie for the hard scifi crowd and not to be missed even with its faults!"

i saw this film not long after it was released when it came on sky and I've been looking for this film ever since i couldn't get it out of my head (lol), i only just found it. i had seen it but i couldn't remember the name of it everything that happens in the film i could tell you but not the name. its got a brilliant storyline and i thought it was great the action was good. anyone who watches this film will have a hard job to forget it. if your looking for a film which is unusual then you have found it. i have never seen a film before with a story line quite like this one. definitely one to watch best film I've ever seen but because i didn't know who the actors were I've had a hard job finding it.

Control Factor had great acting, not just the main players, but the supporting cast as well. And in spite of the obvious fact that this movie contained elements of various other popular movies, like the Matrix, and even the really great movie Total Recall, it still stood on its own. I had to laugh at some the gimmicks like the baseball caps the protagonists used to repel the government transmitted mind controlling radio waves. THAT brought to mind the fabled tin foil helmets that unstable people are alleged to wear to prevent aliens from mentally controlling them. I watched this movie twice, mainly to enjoy it and it's credibility, but also to concentrate on the technical aspects, how the director managed to keep the several plot lines in operation simultaneously, and still maintain the viewers interest. Adam Baldwin was really gave a great performance, advancing from innocent bystander, to confused victim, and finally to effective leader. I have recommended this movie to all my friends, and will continue to do so. Controlling Factor was to my mind a much better action, sci-fi, and psychological thriller than many other more popular and probably more expensively produced movies.