Essential Killing (2010)
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85% of critics liked it
(34 reviews) -
40% want to see it
(1,695 ratings)
A soldier must fight for his own survival as well as the cause of his people in this powerful drama from acclaimed Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski. A pair of American security operatives (Zach Cohen and Iftach Ofir) are on patrol in Afghanistan when they stumble upon a Taliban fighter (Vincent… More A soldier must fight for his own survival as well as the cause of his people in this powerful drama from acclaimed Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski. A pair of American security operatives (Zach Cohen and Iftach Ofir) are on patrol in Afghanistan when they stumble upon a Taliban fighter (Vincent Gallo), who kills them despite his terror and nervousness. While trying to escape, the Afghan is captured by American forces; he's tortured during interrogation, but doesn't tell the Americans anything, in part because an explosion has made it difficult for him to hear what they're saying. The Americans ship the Afghan off to a detention facility with a number of other Taliban soldiers, but upon arrival he's able to escape. However, the Afghan finds himself in a forbidding snowbound climate, and with no provisions or warm clothing he struggles to simply survive as he avoids his pursuers and struggles to find some way to get home. Shot with very little dialogue (and almost none delivered by leading man Gallo), Essential Killing received its North American premiere at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jerzy Skolimowski
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense
- Studio
- HanWay Films
Critic Reviews
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Richard Brody, New Yorker
Under the guise of current events, Skolimowski artfully conjures an elemental archetype of human life itself. In English, Polish, and Arabic.
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Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Stripped of its political vestments, Essential Killing is a chase film almost existential in its rawness and virtually silent in its unfolding -- just a pursued man reduced by circumstance to a primitive state.
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Peter Howell, Toronto Star
View it as an existential thriller illustrating how violence begets violence.
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David Jenkins, Time Out
Delivering an absolute minimum of context, the film dares us to forge our own reasons for rooting for or despising this savage.
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Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times
The movie deftly shifts from its initial chase thriller mode to a grueling, offbeat tale of human survival.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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