Essential Killing

An Afghan POW attempts his escape , but he is captured by the US military in Afghanistan , he is named Mohammed (Vincent Gallo) and is transported to a secret military black site somewhere in the Eastern Europe , being transferred for interrogation (David Price as interrogation officer) at a installation similarly to Guantanamo . When the armed convoy which transports to him suffers a crash accident , Mohammed manages to getaway from his captors , as he escapes across a steep hill, among snowy outdoors and freeze landscapes . Relentlessly chased by an army that officially does not exist, , Monhammed attempts to survive when he finds a countrywoman named Margaret (Emmanuelle Seigner) .

This frenzied movie contains pure action-packed , thriller , suspense , frozen hell and thought-provoking moments . This exciting picture results to be a co-production between Poland|Norway|Ireland| Hungary and deals with an interminable chase in which the protagonist finds himself suddenly free and on the run behind the enemy lines , being relentlessly pursued by American troops on a continent he does not know , that seems to see somewhere in the Eastern Europe . Awesome interpretation by Vincent Gallo as Mohammed , a man who must constantly confront the need to murder in order to survive . Gallo is superb as a real Taliban as physical as playing . Vincent Gallo's role demanded him to do things like walk barefoot on the snow with the temperature reaching minus 30 degrees Celsius. In the breastfeeding scene, Vincent Gallo insisted on getting a real lactating woman for the role. Furthermore , there appears in a secondary role Emmanuelle Seigner , Roman Polanski's muse and wife . While some characters are named in the end credits, no names are used in the film itself . Very good and colorful cinematography by Adam Sikora , showing splendidly hostile, snow blanketed forests and cold landscapes . Emotive and sensitive musical score by Pawel Mykietyn . The motion picture was compellingly directed by the Polish Jerzy Skolimowski . He is a prestigious director, playwright, scriptwriter, painter and actor . And one of the best Polish filmmakers along with Roman Polanski and Andrzej Wajda , both of them are good friends . As Skolimowski has directed good films such as ¨Adventures of Gerard¨ , ¨Deep end¨ , ¨The shout¨, ¨The lightship¨ , ¨Success is the best revenge¨ , ¨Torrents of spring¨ , among others .¨Essential Killing¨ rating : Good , better than average , worthwhile watching .

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.

Refreshingly unlike a lot of Hollywood's products where one is fed the director's opinion and invited to swallow it whole. Here a simple story is told without the usual, clearly identified good and bad characters. We watch a story thread its course and are invited to decide for ourselves who, if anyone, is guilty or innocent. Mahommed, the main character, could easily have been portrayed as the stereotypical Jihadist instead he is depicted as frightened and confused which one would suppose are the normal reactions to the situation he finds himself in. It is set in stark but beautiful environments and one can vividly feel the pain and deprivation which is depicted in a most understated manner. This film is different, it is in a league of its own and will be appreciated by anyone with a mind of their own - essential viewing for those who don't.