dromasca The US and NATO war in Afghanistan did not generate yet too many movies. Certainly, not many good movies. A few war and B-series films dealt with the conflict in a one-sided manner, focusing on the action, demonizing or at best not dealing with the other side but in a very schematic and generally negative manner. Very few dealt with the dilemmas and traumas of the warriors, or of the families back home. The other side was again absent, a far menace at best. Essential Killing - an European co-production directed by Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski with a couple of well known French actors in the lead roles comes from a very different perspective. So different that it falls in the other extreme, and the result is in my opinion a failure.Let me start with the good things about this film. It's cinematography is very expressive and fits quite well the subject and the action. A Taliban prisoner is captured by the American or NATO forces after killing three soldiers. He is interrogated with brutality, and then taken aboard the plane to another country, supposed European, certainly with harsh winters and very different from the hot desert he dreams to while fighting for his life. The frozen forests, the orange and white uniforms, the silhouettes of the soldiers, the dogs and the wolves, all fit well. One can wonder what actors like Vincent Gallo and Emmanuelle Seigner do in such a film, but they are here and they do well their job. If 'Essential Killing' was only a survival story, it would have worked, although some details are not completely clear (how does exactly the running prisoner escape the wolves? we just see him walking free after a scene in which he seemed to be turn into pieces by a hoard of about six beasts).The problem is that 'Essential Killing' tries to be more than a survival story in in what it selects to show and what it selects not to show. Yes, the brutal methods of interrogation are repulsive, and transporting prisoners in other countries without a judgment may be against the international laws. Yes, even the harsher enemies are human and they have their dreams and they fight for their lives. Human solidarity also works beyond language or cultural barriers. This is fine as well. However the one sided view of the conflict in which the bad guys are 'humanized' to the edge of idealization (dreaming about the beautiful woman covered by the celestial blue burka, come on!) and the good guys are demonized (did not the three soldiers killed in the opening scene have their dreams too?) can work only for people who landed from another planet or are truly convinced that the Taliban are the good guys and the ones fighting them are the opposite. 'Essential Killing' may tell some kind of a partial truth, but partial truths are often indistinguishable from lies.

Maziun *SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*SPOILERS This has to be one of the most pretentious and dullest movies I have ever seen. Director Jerzy Skolimowski once made a great drama "Moonlighting". Unfortunately most of his work are arty movies that are hardly watchable. This one is no exception.This movie was obviously made to cash-in on the negative attitude towards America , after the world found out about Guantanamo and possible secret CIA prisons for terrorists in Poland . It's a story about Afghanistan terrorist who gets caught by USA army. His transported to prison in Poland , yet there's an accident and he manages to escape. Will he manage to survive ? "Essential killing" is quite nicely photographed and short (not even 1 h 30 minutes). The acting isn't bad . Vincent Gallo plays the main hero (anti-hero ?) and Emmanuelle Seigner makes a brief appearance near the end of the movie. Other actors are unknown , possibly even amateurs.The biggest problem with "EK" is it's a terribly shallow movie that has only one thing to say – killing is wrong. Well , at least that's the only thing that I understood after watching it. And quite probably there is some message that American soldiers are evil . I wouldn't mind a movie against violence and killing , but "EK" is completely devoted of any emotion. It's as cold as snow that appears in it.We don't get to know anything about our hero – his probably a fighter and has a wife in Afghanistan . That's the only thing that flashbacks told me about him. The movie seems to be full of symbols . What's with the white horse ? It's supposed to symbolize death . Our hero at the beginning of the movie looks like Jesus , while his wife(?) reminds of Maria . Or maybe that was unintended ? Was the ant eating supposed to be a symbol ? I don't know and I don't care.If you want to wasted your time on something simplistic , boring and pretentious watch "Essential killing". I give it 1/10.

brainy elizea I do not have a problem with movies in which the main character doesn't say a word, of course, if we are talking about silent movies or let's call them art movies. But this movie is neither. The story starts out well but then the main character ends up at an unknown continent and we all go there with him. He strays the woods looking for escape and so do you.Because it seems that the end will never come for the main character nor for you.The movie gets three stars from me for a nice start and for the actors effort.

Dainius8888 You hardly get a good, lasting impression from low budget movies nowadays, so this title, in my view, stands out as a really original and, for that matter, quite an important one. The Polish film makers have really outdone themselves. Of course, at the beginning of the picture I was not confident about it, but after a while it gets decently impressive minute by minute. The movie itself is about war's effect on the humanity and life of one person. How it changes his life forever. But the presentation of this idea is absolutely unique for it's 'fresh vantage point'.I mean there are many movies about war and it's effects and consequences, so you cannot refuse to not praise the filmmakers for the success of the originality of this picture, due to the different point of view towards the subject. Everything in this film was unquestionably fine for me up until the ending. I felt that this ending was unfair. The result COULD have been different. But then, I guess, the ideas in this movie would, in a way, loose their meaning. This point IS argumentative. Concequentaly, the whole plot is decent and the ending... Well, I supposed, It depends on the person watching. The acting by Vincent Gallo is quite impressive. His performance is entertaining enough to keep the audience watching. And everything else is without flaws too. The soundtracks are decent, quite impressive actually for a low budget film. The camera-work is quite picturesque. Practically flawless. Seeing this movie will not disappoint and will leave a memorable impression.