adrian-dziubek It's so boring and predictable that it _almost_ becomes funny. There is no dialogue. There is no deeper understanding to be gained. It's the story you will experience by buying vodka for your last money and getting wasted in a foreign neighborhood. Except you probably won't kill anybody and I don't see any justification for that.I don't know what it is supposed to convey. It's sick fantasy and that the snowy valley turns out to be Poland at the end just confirms that the crew had no idea about the world. Save your money. If you want some Western Culture self-hate you can buy vodka and drink by yourself. At least you won't bother anyone.

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.

Dannifain Really bad movie with no narrative. No ending. It's a run away movie and it's just goes on and on with the same idea and it gets obnoxious and boring! Furthermore, The text writing has no sophistication at all.Don't waste your time and your money. I really don't understand how come the movie won 5 prizes in movie festival. The only thing I was satisfied with in the movie was the nature surrounding camera shooting which was magnificent. But still, the hero just wanders around in nature all along with no words coming from his mouth and the story just goes no where. In conclusion, the film was a waste of time and money and I believe you all will find a better violent and sophisticated movie to go to.