6.1/10
6,927
45 user 117 critic

Essential Killing (2010)

R | | Thriller , War | 22 October 2010 (Poland)
Essential Killing Poster
Trailer
1:42 | Trailer

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An Afghan POW attempts his escape.

Director:

Jerzy Skolimowski

Writers:

Jerzy Skolimowski (screenplay), Ewa Piaskowska (screenplay) | 1 more credit »

Stars:

Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, Zach Cohen | See full cast & crew »
Reviews
14 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

See all 2 videos  »

Photos

See all 14 photos »
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vincent Gallo ... Mohammed
Emmanuelle Seigner ... Margaret
Zach Cohen Zach Cohen ... American Contractor 1
Iftach Ophir Iftach Ophir ... American Contractor 2
Nicolai Cleve Broch ... Helicopter Pilot 1
Stig Frode Henriksen ... Helicopter Pilot 2
David L. Price ... Interrogation Officer (as David Price)
Tracy Spencer Shipp Tracy Spencer Shipp ... Young Soldier in Suv
Mark Gasperich Mark Gasperich ... Head of Pursuit Team
Phillip Goss Phillip Goss ... Military Doctor
Klaudia Kaca Klaudia Kaca ... Woman on a Bicycle
Dariusz Juzyszyn Dariusz Juzyszyn ... Logger
Raymond Josey Raymond Josey ... American Soldier
Robert Mazurkiewicz Robert Mazurkiewicz ... Hunter
Janusz Wojtarowicz Janusz Wojtarowicz ... Margaret's Husband
See full cast »
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Storyline

A Taliban member who lives in Afghanistan is taken captive by the Americans after killing an American soldier and two contractors. He is transferred to Europe for interrogation but manages to escape from his captors and becomes an escaped convict on a continent he does not know. Written by Anonymous

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

escape | afghanistan | desert | nature | captive | See All (95) »

Taglines:

Run to live... kill to survive (UK)

Genres:

Thriller | War

Certificate:

R | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official site | Official site [Japan]

Country:

Poland | Norway | Ireland | Hungary | France

Language:

English | Polish | Arabic

Release Date:

22 October 2010 (Poland) See more »

Also Known As:

Essence See more »

Filming Locations:

Enebakkneset, Akershus, Norway See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

€3,167,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Skopia Film,Cylinder Production,Element Pictures See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

It is hinted that the movie is set in Poland. For example, after the van rolls over down the hill, one of the soldiers asks in Polish: "How do you say 'handcuffs' [in English]?" ("Jak sa kajdanki?") See more »

Goofs

After Mohammed falls in the water he climbs out of the lake. However, in the following scene with the dog he seems dry. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Na plovárne: Na plovárne s Agnieszkou Holland (2017) See more »

Soundtracks

Y Dopatrzenia
Music written by Rafal Modlinski, Karol Ludew, Piotr Leniewicz and Adam Adamczyk and words by Adam Adamczyk
Performed by Moja Adrenalina
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Where was the taliban fighter taken to ?
See more »

User Reviews

 
Good solid film
4 March 2011 | by DoNotTrustImdb – See all my reviews

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.
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