Control Factor

Lance Bishop (Adam Baldwin) is a common thirty-three years old American citizen, married with his beloved wife Karen (Elizabeth Berkley) and working in an insurance company. When a deranged shooter invades the building where Lance works, and shoots killing and hurting some colleagues of Lance, the guy tries to kill him and tells that he is saving Lance from a horrible destiny. Soon Bishop has nightmares and his life changes when he discovers what is the cause of his bad dreams.

This is the beginning of one of the best science-fiction movies I have recently seen. The plot contains elements of "They Live", "Total Recall", "X-Files" and "Matrix" and is very engaging. I really do not understand the unfair IMDb User rating of 4.6 for such an outstanding B-movie. Fortunately I bought this VHS without seeing this ridiculous quotation. The story, of a government agency controlling the hearts and souls of the population, in an experiment aimed "to increase the productivity of the workers, control the criminality and even the elections", is spectacular. I can not write much more about this intriguing story, because the mystery deserves to be disclosed and appreciated by the viewer. I really liked this movie a lot, all the team (director, writer, cast, producer, crew etc.) deserves a congratulation and my vote is ten for such a wonderful and magnificent surprise.

Title (Brazil): "O Controle da Mente" ("The Mind Control")

Note: On 26 September 2015, I saw this film again.

I guess I've always been a sucker for movies like the Matrix where everything's weird and you don't know what's going on. This seems to be an attempt at that and for the most part it works. I can't say I'm very familiar with Adam Baldwin (is he a Baldwin brother?) but he seemed to do a good job with his part. And I was surprised to see Elizabeth Berkeley actually get to act for a change and not just take off her clothes. I guess they didn't have a very big budget because it isn't really about action as much as figuring out what's going on. There's a nice twist about midway into it that caught me totally by surprise. Also an interesting ending that - gasp! - tries to say something.

The film is a low budget one and no amount of acting could have saved it. Adam Baldwin does a fair job, Elisabeth Berkley... well, I never liked her, Tony Todd is amazingly old in this movie, I've always liked him, but in this film he is not that great. One can even recognize John Neville, in his usual god-like role.

However, it did manage to keep me on edge, mostly because it is such an outrageous concept. Once you dared put yourself in the same place with the main character you cannot but wonder "what if this is really happening?". You won't get the answer from a movie, but I know enough to know that it is definitely possible.

In the end, if you get over the disgusting racial issue of the "black posse", you ignore the religious babble that seems to infect the movie ending and you try to cope with the bad acting of some people, you get a reasonable movie.

Oh yeah, nearly forgot, cell phones are NOT the enemy! I need my cell towers! :)

It's a remarkable movie not by realization (could be better) but for ideas, as in Matrix 1, Truman Show, Das Experiment, 1984, etc. In my opinion one of the best and also with a good idea to start, we know they will always try to subdue us and forcing us working without freedom, or the possibilities of even think something against the regime. But also we must know that if we don't react every time our freedom is broken, we will finish being slaves. We are partially but not 100%, they want 100%, they don't accept less, but something more, they even want that we must be grateful towards them for the chance of working until death for corporations, greed, money, or power of leaders. Think about this when the age of retirement will become 70 years old or over. The meaning is for most of us starting to work at 20 or less we must fulfill 50 years of working and for majority hard working, just to have the right to stop finally at 70 (if in life then) and hopping few years to enjoy the loans, the home buy ed in 50 years or more, the divorce because the lack of time or too much stress provoked by job, the death of someone loved because lack of money or lack of social security, trying to forget drug or alcohol problems caused also by the job and many many more, finally thinking is there a little percent left until 100% or we are already there with factor or no factor control. The most important factor control nowadays is not the microwave, but the money seeing the financial crisis now is not such incredible thing, doesn't it? It's enough to think back how often crises was, what reasons for wars was, for military intervention, for cold war, you name it, but most of it just think who get a use of this? Because we, the normal, poor peoples with normal problems (could say daily problems not provoked by acquisition of a new yacht, or a new mistress) we have nothing to win au contraire. And who then, maybe the banks (just an element of taking profit of all trades) the oligarchies, the governments, the key persons of worldwide organizations, corporates ones? In conclusion a must see movie with a cold water douche effect. Waakeeeeeeeeee uuuuuuuuuuuup!

I decided to record this movie when it appeared on the Space channel only because I noted that its lead was Adam Baldwin, an actor whose work I enjoy more each time I see him. I had not counted on discovering a disturbing, even frightening, vision of conspiracy. With the ever reliable Tony Todd and John Neville as well as the surprising talent of the lovely Elizabeth Berkley, this film was a definite winner. This is true horror, of the variety of the first Matrix movie with overtones of X-Files or of Conspiracy Theory. I found myself caring about the characters and experiencing that eye-widening fearful tension of watching an average man caught in a strange and hopeless situation. Kudos to the writer, director and actors. Truly a gem of a motion picture.