KONTROLL (RECOMMENDED)

Set entirely underground, in Budapest’s labyrinthine subway system, Kontroll is a lush and atmospheric existential thriller with a grimy punk sensibility. First time director, Nimrod Antal, takes full advantage of this seedy but fascinating underworld. Claustrophobic tunnels open onto dank and cavernous stations where sickly fluorescent lights stand in for the sun. Passengers scurry down endless escalators to lurk in shadows like nervous rats as they wait for their train. At the center of this Dante-like netherworld is Bulcsu (Sándor Csanyi), a grungy, charismatic ticket ‘controller’ who battles rival inspectors, hostile scofflaws, and a shadowy serial killer who shoves random passengers into the path of oncoming trains.

The controllers are a combination of low-level tax collector and security officer. Unable to enforce their authority, they spend much of their time ineffectually harassing fare jumpers. The disdain and scorn passengers show for these hapless officials creates terrific moments of dark comedy. A scene where Japanese tourists snap photos of an inspector while ignoring his increasingly pleading requests for their tickets, hilariously highlights the futility of the controller’s mission.

Bulcsu (pronounced 'bull-chew'), a crew leader, lives in self-imposed exile, hiding from a mysterious past. Sleeping on empty platforms and eating out of vending machines, he embraces his subterranean isolation as a metaphor for his life and never ventures above ground. His motley crew of misfits and has-beens offer easy camaraderie and Russian roulette style competitions on the rail tracks provide cheap thrills.

Csanyi, who looks a bit like actor Chris Noth, brings a mournful nobility to the otherwise scruffy Bulcsu. As the film progresses, he is repeatedly beaten to pulp, yet remains defiantly engaging. He is a man so wounded by the topside world, he has learned to hide his fear and anger behind a deceptively calm façade. When he encounters a rebellious and beautiful young girl (Eszter Balla) in a teddy-bear costume, however, he begins to yearn for life in the real world.

Antal (who grew up in L.A. before moving to Hungary) confronts the isolation and anxiety of contemporary urban living with a potent mix of black humor, unnerving suspense and antisocial drama. He combines the high gloss of Hollywood to European art house stylization to great effect. Savvy enough to balance the film’s bleaker sensibilities with humor and suspense, his unique visual style and throbbing electronic soundtrack gets your blood pumping. The film features a potent mix of ridiculously comical chases and sudden violence. Bulcsu’s eventual confrontation with the dark-hooded subway killer, a literal and metaphorical visage of death, has all the elements of the best suspense-thrillers.

The film is not without flaws, however. While the episodic structure of the story accentuates the controller’s soul-deadening routine, several of the scenes lose focus and the plot comes off as haphazard and undercooked. Similarly, many of the characters, as quirky and engaging as they are, come and go to little effect.

Where Kontroll distinguishes itself is with its compelling lead actor and absolute authenticity of place. Antal’s inventive direction takes you someplace you’ve never been and offers up a seductively tense film experience. Unlike the subway where it’s set, he may not always reach his intended destination but the thrill of the ride more than makes up for its less successful detours.