Essential Killing Reviews

Even if not original and proving to be a wearing experience, this visceral film deserves credit for being almost without dialogue - and Gallo does a good job as a desperate man struggling for survival in an inhospitable place, while the locations highlight well his isolation.

A rare film that mixes action, beauty and terror into one survival film. Jerzy Skolimowski's strenght lies in his ability to use sound and image in a offbeat way. This could have been a straight action film, but in Skolimowski's hands it turns into something much more deeper and surreal than that. While this is by far one of the most interesting survival stories in a long time it still is awfully flawed. It has serious problems with it's logic and those flashback sequences are completely pointless and belong to another film. Vincent Gallo tries his best in a physical role without any words, but his character feels cold and distant also. Still it is a technically outstanding work and a interesting take on a humans ability to survive in wilderness.

The meditative, subversive and provocative thriller, "Essential Killing," is about the hunt for a suspected terrorist(Vincent Gallo), told almost entirely from his point of view. Except like in real life and the movie, things are not so simple. We first see him in a cave, trembling before killing two American contractors(Zach Cohen & Iftach Ophir) and their escort, who are there off-book and quite possibly involved in drug smuggling, in order to escape. Soon after this, he is captured and processed at an airbase and cleaned up. He is shouted at by an American officer(David Price) and might answer if not for all the ringing in his ears from the explosion. All of which resembles a production line more than anything else.(This is not the only time the movie references "Brave New World" by the way.) Since the waterboarding produces no results, he is shipped with others to Poland. In any case, this makes for a poor first impression.

His escape into the snowy wilderness occurs when the army convoy comes across a literal pack of road hogs, causing the truck he is in to go over the side of the road and overturning. At which point, the conflict becomes less man vs. man than man vs. nature, as the former prisoner makes a bid to live off the land like the hunters and fishermen he sees with one extreme example thrown in for good measure.(Considering how much he seems to know about the flora, it would probably come as no surprise that he has done some hunting himself.) At the same time, we get glimpses of a past, happier existence.

Sometimes visually striking, virtually dialogue free piece with some memorable moments and a committed, if over-egged, performance from Vincent Gallo. The symbolism becomes wearying however, and Jerry Skolimowski doesn't have the even hand of Gus Van Sant's "Gerry" or Terrence Malick's "The Thin Red Line", which explore similar themes.

An endurance test, for both the main character and the audience. I didn't care for this film exercise without any real plot, hardly any dialogue, and often glacial pacing. Vincent Gallo deserves recognition for putting himself through the wringer, but I watched this because of Emmanuelle Seigner's prominent placement in the credits, so imagine my disappointment when she doesn't show up until the thing is almost over - and she's a deaf/mute!

While not immediately involving or interesting, "Essential Killing" is taut and well-directed, and Vincent Gallo is brilliant in his wordless role. The deliberate pace may prove agonizing for some, but I enjoyed "Essential Killing." Sure, it's nothing to write home about, but there are some well-made moments. It's got enough entertainment value to earn my recommendation.

a lo mucho tiene como 11 min de dialogo, todo lo demas es Vincent Gallo durmiendo, caminando, correindo, cayendo, sangrando, tosiendo o matando uno que otro soldado.

yo creo que el personaje principal en esta movie es el bosque jojoj

A visionary and masterful film. There is a story, it just isn't told in the same stock way. I think the story is a poetically-told and profound one. If you want Rambo and sneer at the idea of an "art film", then skip it. You won't know how to watch it and your commentary will be misplaced. If you understand that politics is elemental, consequential, and, yes, essential, and is more than ideologies and labels and bad guy verses good guy frames of reference, you could get something out of it. If you understand that politics isn't just parties or campaigns, but that 95% of it is what people don't see and don't ever know, you may like it. If you understand that politics is really (or had better be) ultimately about the planet, other life forms, seeing people whole, and each man's soul, or at least have an open mind to seeing a more encompassing view of "politics", you might like it. Skolimowski's best, in my opinion, and that says a great deal.

As there is little dialogue my review will be the same.

So. I'm sitting here thinking to myself, how much I loved everything in this movie until the very end. There was so much to like. First, the MAIN CHARACTER IS A TALIBAN! And you root for him! How the fuck?! Awesome idea! 2nd, there is barely any dialogue. AWESOME. Third it is a fugitive, man on the run, movie. ALSO AWESOME. There are a few moments where he gets a bit too lucky. (Where the fuck did that Helicopter go?) And some moments were just plain awkward. (You know it when you see it) But what really knocked this movie down a few notches was the unsatisfying ending. I get how they tied it into his dreams, but it definitely needed more of a bow tie at the end. Great Concept. Solid execution.

A ridiculous movie. It starts out in what appears to be Afghanistan but evolves into what is clearly a northern European forest where people are speaking Polish, an area that has nothing to do culturally with Afghanistan .

Nice filming. Apart from that: no knowledge of lumberjacks. Or horses. Or continuity. Artyfarty with loads of fake blood (mostly unexplained).

Totalna nuda i bana?. Scenariusz pozbawiony logiki, pisany na kolanie. Plus dobrze znany ju? wcze?niej w polskiej kinematografii bia?y ko? uciaprany czerwon? farb?.

The meditative, subversive and provocative thriller, "Essential Killing," is about the hunt for a suspected terrorist(Vincent Gallo), told almost entirely from his point of view. Except like in real life and the movie, things are not so simple. We first see him in a cave, trembling before killing two American contractors(Zach Cohen & Iftach Ophir) and their escort, who are there off-book and quite possibly involved in drug smuggling, in order to escape. Soon after this, he is captured and processed at an airbase and cleaned up. He is shouted at by an American officer(David Price) and might answer if not for all the ringing in his ears from the explosion. All of which resembles a production line more than anything else.(This is not the only time the movie references "Brave New World" by the way.) Since the waterboarding produces no results, he is shipped with others to Poland. In any case, this makes for a poor first impression.

His escape into the snowy wilderness occurs when the army convoy comes across a literal pack of road hogs, causing the truck he is in to go over the side of the road and overturning. At which point, the conflict becomes less man vs. man than man vs. nature, as the former prisoner makes a bid to live off the land like the hunters and fishermen he sees with one extreme example thrown in for good measure.(Considering how much he seems to know about the flora, it would probably come as no surprise that he has done some hunting himself.) At the same time, we get glimpses of a past, happier existence.

79%

Vincent insisted that the woman actor be lactating, which makes up for a very gnarley scene. Utters then that, I've seen it all before.

just a weird movie... no dialogue

I wasn't routing for the lead, nor did I want to see him dead, I just didn't feel any attachment to him and considering that's all that's on offer I just sat there waiting for a plot point that came after the first scene.
Very dull and seemingly over-rated.

Pretty great movie, but it didn't have an ending. WTF! Halfway through one of the scenes it just cuts to credits.

Mistrzostwo. Masterpiece.