Essential Killing

Vincent Gallo stars as a confused, lonesome Taliban fighter in this survival film, perhaps a spiritual successor to the old Nils Gaup film 'The Pathfinder' (not the remake). An unnamed fighter is captured by Americans, extradited to a base inn a Russian-speaking country, then escapes, and spends the most part of the film chased by Americans in helicopters or patrols of dogs. It's refreshing to see Americans portrayed through the eyes of a Taliban fighter; with their superior technology and almost infantile attitudes they seem quite like aliens. The fighter is ever troubled by the killing he has to do in order to survive, as he struggles through a bleak wintery landscape (shot in Norway and Poland), searching for food, clothes and shelter. This is a film about the human condition rather than a political one, in some respects it has a classic chase plot but with minimal dialogue a dream-like feel. The strangeness of it all made me intrigued; here is a Taliban fighter chased by rather alien Americans surrounded by hapless Russian-speaking farmers or foresters. This slightly unreal quality is the film's strength, also parallel to the man's sand-coloured 'dream-visions' of his homeland and imagery of a woman (whose face we never see) and images of his family.

The cinematography and use of colour contrasted against the pale winter landscape is stunning. The plot isn't entirely believable, and takes you through some pretty unlikely twists and turns, but nevertheless this is more existentialist than realist, and Vincent Gallo pulls off the non-speaking part with a humbling and convincing performance.

All throughout watching "Essential Killing", the movie reminded me of the 1970's movie "Figures in a Landscape"; directed by Joseph Losey and starring Robert Shaw and Malcolm McDowell. Now, when browsing through the external reviews, I notice that Roger Ebert mentions that same film as well, so that means my observations can't be that stupid. Ha, maybe I should go work for the Chicago Sun Times! Anyways, "Figures in a Landscape" is a rather obscure and little known cult gem from the early 70's with a very bizarre narrative structure and substance. The film simply revolves on two escaped convicts nervously running across a desolate area, while chased by a menacing black helicopter and later also by army patrols on foot. All throughout that film, You won't develop any sympathy for the two fugitives - as they commit some truly vile acts along their way – but their journey nevertheless remains fascinating to behold. Well, there you go, Jerzy Skolimowski's new film "Essential Killing" is pretty much exactly like that. The widely acclaimed and professionally offbeat actor Vincent Gallo depicts a nervous Taliban terrorist named Mohammed. That alone is already quite courageous and controversial for an American actor, but Gallo has got several weird title choices in his repertoire. Shortly after his deportation, for murdering three US mariners in Afghanistan with a bazooka, Mohammed manages to escape during the prison transport and the rest of the film illustrates his harsh and devastating to remain at large. Not only does he has to outrun the much better prepared and equipped military forces who are continuously on his tail, he also has to confront a very uneven and hostile landscape without any food or apt clothing. Just like in the aforementioned "Figures in a Landscape", you can't (and I presume you're also not supposed to) develop much feelings of sympathy for the protagonist. After all, he's a Taliban terrorist – something of which we're reminded about occasionally through flashbacks about his training period – and he does kill several innocent people throughout his escape attempt. Killing that are essential for him to remain in freedom, hence the title. Obviously "Essential Killing" isn't the type of which you can say you enjoyed the viewing. The subject matter is dead serious, the narrative wants you to remain objective throughout and our lead actor doesn't have a single line of monologue or thoughts. Nonetheless this film is worth checking out, especially for the more demanding type of cinema fanatic, for various other reasons. First and foremost, there's Vincent Gallo's undeniably impressive performance. His role is both physically and mentally exhausting and you can clearly see that none of his emotions are staged, including the fatigue, famish and agony. How many actors, who have already achieved a certain status, do you know will be eager to do stuff like walk barefoot through the snow with a temperature reaching minus 30 degrees Celsius? The enchanting Emmanuelle Seigner receives second billing, but her role is limited to a small chapter near the end of the movie. The film itself is very absorbing, even without Gallo's tour-de-force performance. Every shot, every inch of the landscape seems precisely measured and re-considered at least a dozen times before featuring in the film. The choreography is simply wonderful and the locations – apparently a mixture between Polish and Norwegian – are almost continuously breathtaking. "Essential Killing" is a remarkable and memorable film, albeit not necessarily apt for all tastes.

You've rarely seen a movie like Jerzy Skolimowski's "Essential Killing". Vincent Gallo (of "Buffalo '66") plays an escaped POW from Afghanistan who roams the European countryside in midwinter hoping to be able to survive in this unfamiliar setting. The absence of dialogue - except for a few lines - gives the film an especially surreal feel. There's no particular political message. The message is: when you're on your own, you'd better have your wits about you.

This is the first Skolimowski movie that I've seen. I'm impressed. I hope to be able to see more of his movies. In the mean time, I recommend this one.

Also starring Emmanuelle Seigner (Roman Polanski's wife).

I was not sure where this film was going to go with the story line at hand, was it to be another horror story about the violence of war? It was just a bit hard to work out after watching the trailer on YouTube, as things can look misleading.

But I was glad to see it was not all about blood and gut's, no Rambo style shoot me up type of film, sure there are parts with violence, but it is not the main focus of the storyline, and it put another spin on the way I looked at the war's that are being fought in the Middle East.

And by not giving to much away from this solid film, it is about a fish out of water, but seen from the other side of the fence. It made me think about the conflict of war in a different way. Apparently Jack Nicholson stated, so far it was the best film of year, I am not sure about that, but the film made me think about the madness of the world we live in.

Rock solid 8 out of 10, and could some one tell me the name of the music at the end of the film.

I saw this film today. While not perfect, it is a very good film. This is about a character that does not want to kill at all, feels horrible about it, but has no other choice. Gallo's performance is his best yet, very convincing and telling. The cinematography is stunning. The music is also quite good, adding more to the tension. (I didn't like the end credits song very much though). It's a very simple story, but it is told well. I appreciate this kind of film, where there is not a great deal of dialogue, just a simple story, good acting, and great photography. I don't need a ton of action, plot twists, subplots, or overindulgent dialogue. So something like Essential Killing is a film I can enjoy. Of course that doesn't mean it's for everyone.

There are a few small weaknesses (I found the ending felt very abrupt - maybe there could have been a way to make it feel less so), but overall I would rate the film an 8.5. It is a compelling, revealing and rewarding experience.