CheerupSilver Very Cool!!!

Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Niamh O'Connor I don't agree that this film is a total waste of time nor would I urge a friend to watch it. It certainly has merits and can't be slated for lack of dialogue - the protagonist does not speak or understand the language in the land in which he finds himself! It seems that some reviewers think that he should be speaking to himself (perhaps as a kind of narrator) which would in my view diminish the impact of the audio that is present. I confess that Gallo is not my favourite actor - there is something about his overplayed anguish or emotional vacancy (in other work) that irritates and in my opinion borders on self-indulgent. But in saying that I would always watch a V. Gallo movie for their content but wish that he would dominate less. But in this particular movie, his character is central and leads us through some beautiful and unforgiving terrain and of course plenty of 'essential killing'. I guess whether or not we view it as 'essential' rests upon whether we find the main character sympathetic or not and this (despite all the holes in the telling, pointed out in other reviews) is where I run out of interest. I never cared enough to invest in this character, not even a little, so was removed from any outcome for him or the peripheral others he encountered. I was more interested in the visuals of this movie and the audioscape, which were at times alarming but always engaging.

valis1949 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.

Molly Stokes 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.

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.