A Short Film About Killing DVD Movie

Alternatedly mind-numbing and thought-provoking

10/30/2009

The Bottom Line:

A perfect example of why some things do not need to be expanded, this adaptation of a 55-minute TV show episode into a 85 minute film begins with one of the most boring sequences I've ever witnessed in a film (the director films through a yellow lens, for some reason, the main character walking around Poland for literally 20 minutes without saying more than 20 words) before Kieslowski moves on to a brutal murder and an exploration of the death penalty; at 55 minutes this would be compelling, but with the extra half hour I cannot recommend this leadenly paced film despite its interesting material in the latter half.

2.5/4

Intense Film Noire

6/10/2009

Despite its title, this a a full length movie shown with subtitles from the original Polish. It is a creepy film noire with rarely shown portrayals of day-to-day life in cold war era Warsaw. Lots of suspense and fascinating characters make for an unusal and intense visual experience.

Essential cinema: Kieslowski's 'Kr??tki film o zabijaniu.'

7/24/2007

Roger Ebert calls Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski (1941-1996) "one of the greatest of all filmmakers." Best known for his film cycles Three Colors and The Decalogue, Kieslowski explores similar themes (the hardships of Polish society, love and loss, faith and fear) in this first-rate lesser-known film, A Short Film About Killing ("Kr??tki film o zabijaniu") (1988), which is actually an expanded version of the fifth episode of The Decalogue, "Thou shalt not kill." A brutal murder unites a drifter (Miroslaw Baka), a taxi driver (Jan Tesarz), and an idealistic lawyer (Krzysztof Globisz), reflecting Kieslowski's opposition to the death penalty: any killing, regardless of the perpetrator, is murder. This film is also included in the recent release of The Krzysztof Kieslowski Collection (A Short Film About Love/Blind Chance/Camera Buff/No End/The Scar/A Short Film About Killing), ASIN: B0009UZGQY. Highly recommended.

G. Merritt

A Short Film About Killing

7/6/2007

Part of the famed "Decalogue" series Polish director Kieslowski created for television, "Killing" is a moody, thought-provoking meditation on the Fifth Commandment. Is Jacek's atrocity crueler than state-sanctioned murder? Is capital punishment morally defensible? As his troubled characters wander benighted cityscapes in a world heavy with ominous portents--including the bleak opening shot of a dead rat and hanged cat--Kieslowski masterfully weighs the balance.

An extended version of episode V of "The Decalogue"

4/7/2006

Krzysztof Kieslowski's "A Short Film About Killing" is an extended version of his episode V of "The Decalogue." It is about 24 minutes longer in length than its television series counterpart, but is basically the same film just fleshed out a bit. As the title suggests, this film is about killing and revolves around the lives of three people: a mean spirited cab driver who is the victim, the reckless young man who is the killer, and an ambitious young lawyer who defends him.

It portrays events where a life is taken by a killer and then the state uses the same method to punish the killer. In a sense, the film is about the death penalty, but does not make any obvious conclusions on the ethical use of this punishment. It merely shows the events that lead up to the murder, the murder itself, and the state handing out the punishment. The killer and victim both got on my nerves in the events leading up to the murder, as both of them were annoying people often reckless and inconsiderate of others. Interestingly enough, the victim and killer shared more in common than this, as the victim was choked with a rope, and the killer was hung with a rope. We truly have an "eye for an eye" punishment, adding some symbolism to the film.

The move was very emotional and thoroughly depressing as it depicts the insanity of one who takes the life of another and reminds us that this really is the crazy world in which we live in. Although this is not one of my favorite films by Kieslowski, it really is a work of art and seems to be more appreciated by those outside Poland than by the people in it.