Directed by:
Krzysztof KieslowskiCinematography:
Sławomir IdziakComposer:
Zbigniew PreisnerCast:
Miroslaw Baka, Krzysztof Globisz, Jan Tesarz, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Barbara Dziekan, Aleksander Bednarz, Jerzy Zass, Zdzisław Tobiasz, Artur Barciś (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Krzysztof Kieślowski took several years to complete his mammoth project of filming his Dekalog, each infused with a very personal motivation and dealing with conflicting opinions relating to the imperfections in both the ancient and modern legal codes. A Short Film About Killing is based on the Fifth Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Kill, and is a psychological vivisection of the brutal and senseless murder of a taxi driver by a young drifter, with no explanation offered, and no extenuating circumstances given. Kieslowski demonstrates his skill and dexterity as a master of suspense, keeping tensions rising and viewers in knots, producing a searing, powerful moral indictment of capital punishment. (Artificial Eye)
(more)Reviews (3)
“Since the days of Cain and Abel, no punishment has cured or deterred the world from committing crimes." ‘Two Murders’ or ‘Crime and Punishment Polish-style’. One brutal, gratuitous, committed by a twenty-year-old boy. The second, a deterrent in the form of execution according to the law and so too society. Raw, powerful, disturbing and with real punch. The first half has such suggestive camerawork and atmosphere that only finds an equal in The Cremator. The second then doesn’t shy from introducing moral dilemma and the acting performances, already markedly above-average, reach a zenith. Kieslowski idealizes, damns and condemns nothing and nobody here. So why don’t I give it full marks? Well, right now it seems to me that there is a dead passage somewhere around the middle of the movie. However, considering that A Short Film About Killing is maturing inside me, it won’t take long and I still add another star.
()
The problem with the evaluation of Short Films probably lies in the inconsistency with the idea of retelling the story of the Ten Commandments in the modern sense of the Polish present of the 1980s. Is there anything beneficial in pointing out basic human weaknesses again? Or anything revealing and new? Here again, for example, we illustrate "thou shalt not kill" and that's all we've done.
()
I have very little to criticize about this movie. It's not because it's brilliantly directed and absolutely unique, but it is a very powerful film conceptually that will make you think. Furthermore, it is really well filmed in terms of how the scenes are arranged and how it is overall executed - the killings in all their forms will turn your stomach, and yet it is not at all explicit.
()