Essential Killing

"Run to live... kill to survive."

2010 1h 24m EN

😐

5.9

MID

🍅

77%

FRESH

⭐

6.1

IMDB

★5.9TMDB · 179🍅77%Rotten Tomatoes★6.1IMDB · 8,266

ThrillerWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A Taliban soldier struggles to survive after he escapes his captors and flees into the Polish countryside.

“Run to live... kill to survive.”

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Cast

Vincent Gallo
Mohammed
Emmanuelle Seigner
Margaret
David L. Price
Interrogation Officer
Zach Cohen
American Contractor 1
Iftach Ophir
American Contractor 2
Nicolai Cleve Broch
Helicopter Pilot 1
Stig Frode Henriksen
Helicopter Pilot 2
Dariusz Juzyszyn
Logger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
Writers: Jerzy Skolimowski, Ewa Piaskowska, James McManus
Languages: Polish, Arabic, English
Countries: Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

84 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Polish, Arabic, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Adam Sikora. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paweł Mykietyn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maciej Pawliński shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jerzy Skolimowski directs. Adam Sikora behind the camera. Paweł Mykietyn scores. Maciej Pawliński cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary. Dialogue in Polish, Arabic, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

184 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Released 16 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Polish, Arabic, English.
5International production across 4 countries: Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary.
6Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, shot by Adam Sikora. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Paweł Mykietyn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Maciej Pawliński shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Vincent Gallo and Emmanuelle Seigner and David L. Price carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Run to live... kill to survive.".
11IMDB entry: tt1561768 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.