I love this movie so much

One of my all time favorites.

I'll tell you why so serious

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

To avoid spoilers, avoid this review: This film has some positive aspects, there parts of it that are quite nice to look at, snow, trees, mountains, some grass.Otherwise it's pretty much nonsense.The characters are without much consequence, the main, the escaped Taliban terrorist, says nothing, and basically just grunts most of the time, all the while killing various people (including a dog).The story is timeless of course, some guy being chased by some other guys. Other than that, it's inane.There's no real dialogue, since there isn't any real dialogue. Just a lot of strange wandering through the snow of a Talib trying to go somewhere that he doesn't know where. Maybe that's existentialist. The only people who say anything are angry Americans or some Polish guys who also get killed by this guy. And he seems to be the one that is the sympathetic one.How a Taliban managed to get to trying to escape in Poland is an odd concept. Not that it's bad, I suppose. The film lacks story, lacks point, lacks really anything except a grunting protagonist not doing much of anything, except getting lucky a few times during his dubious journey (the Americans take mercy on him, the travel vehicle turns over, letting him escape, being able to fall into a Polish river and escape from tracking dogs, not being shot by a standing number of guns, the list goes on and on, and it get sort of boring).Not a good movie.

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.

ESSENTIAL KILLING (dir. Jerzy Skolimowski) A riveting thriller which focuses on a suspected Afghan terrorist who escapes capture en-route to a 'black site' base somewhere is Eastern Europe. This fugitive, played by Vincent Gallo, (without a single word of dialog) struggles in a desolate arctic terrain which reminded me of the famous short story by Jack London, TO BUILD A FIRE. Regardless of his guilt or innocence, Gallo's character will do absolutely anything to survive. My only qualm with the film might be the infamous 'mammary encounter' scene which transcends absurdity, but does remind us that we are indeed watching a film starring the inimitable, Vincent Gallo.

Amazing film really driven by the powerful, yet wordless performance from the inimitable Vincent Gallo. I think it can be enjoyed on a couple of very different levels, such as a pure survival thriller or as a smart political allegory. Because everyone can take something from it, both movie buffs and casual viewers should definitely check out this film (although I wouldn't recommend it for date night due to certain infamous scenes!). The minimal style is engrossing - I was hooked from start to finish by the sparse landscapes and soundtrack. It actually really reminded me of Rambo, in a funny sort of way. Although much less heavy handed.