Essential Killing (15)

I really enjoyed the unexplained killing of the three dudes at the start. I did however become a bit bored with the series random events that followed... The dog walked past the tv, a car drove past the house, the sun wet down, my girlfriend got bored and left the room, the clock ticked. Great afternoon of film viewing.

Could not agree more with gilmuni. Narrow-minded bigots, religious fundamentalists and George Bush types do not like this film at all - I wonder why?

Most of the negative reviews in these comments appear to be from people who have never met a jihadist brought up in the mountains of Afghanistan. Not saying i have but i have met people in that part of the world brought up in poverty and acculturated to see the world through a narrow lens of religion and clan. Drop someone like this in the middle of a forest in eastern Europe and they certainly might behave the way Mohamed does. The set piece criticism seems a ridiculous complaint to me that appears to be used by people who think using such phrases makes them sound like an expert film critic.The film is in my view a powerful one both about what a human will do to survive and about the brutal war on terrorism that creates the conditions for this mans survival struggle to take place.Get over your American exceptional-ism and try to put yourself in someone else's shoes. Certainly there have been equally bizarre situations in movies you have seen that you liked that compare favorably to the logging truck fight and the breast milk scene. Open your minds people !

I watched this collection of scenes (movie?) and its a total load of trash...not worth the DVDs its burnt into. The escape scene is ridiculous. The director claims he avoided any politics. But if a picture tells a thousand words then the scenes are very political. The search team goes after him for a few kilometres and then lose him? And a chopper gets a warning beeper and backs off and the rest of the film is just a walk through the snow covered forest with some berry picking , breast milk and a night in a cottage. The film ends with the white horse standing there. What rubbish.

So disappointed by this film. Stumbles from one ludicrously implausible set piece to another, with nothing in the way of actual drama or suspense. I'm all for suspension of disbelief if it helps the viewer to understand the filmmakers ideas and helps to stimulate debate - but this was just ridiculous. And let's not waste any effort trying to 'discuss' this - escaped prisoner goes to any lengths to avoid capture. There was absolutely nothing more to the film that that basic premise. Reminded me of The Fugitive when he escaped initially. Did not enjoy at all.

I think you are getting away from the point that this movie points towards a sympathetic view towards the Taliban, as a soldier i was disgusted by this movie. And at no point did I witness any 'essential' killing, what a crock shite I think the people that made this movie need to take a long hard look at themselves.

In all honesty the biggest load of shite iv ever seen to be realistic nothing essential about killing three guys at the start .syco rampage would have been better title

would that be the brainwashing that doesn't happen till after he's killed the three Yanks with the grenade?

Excellent film - but cant undesrtand why no-one has, so far, mentioined the brain washing the main character must have gone through to turn him into a ruthless killer.

Dear All, I did not say that he had any choice at all in this film. (perhaps some cynics may suggest he had a choice of kill or be killed). What I meant was simply this:- Is man inately a wild animal, who will always regress to this when he is in peril? Or are other factors involved? Does the environment that the person is in have a part to play, too?