What starts as feeling like a pretty conventional western-world film soon transforms into one of the most engrossing pieces of cinema I have seen in recent times. Vincent Gallo plays an escaped convict who was responsible for killing two American soldiers in a missile attack from a cave. Things begin to feel like an “Americans seek revenge against Afghan terrorist” type film, but this is soon flipped on its head and any mention of geographical location, nationality and soon speech all vanish. It becomes a quest of one man to survive, via any means necessary within brutal weather conditions.
The cinematography, direction and music are all sublime and interweave together to create a chilling, disturbing and beautiful film. From Gallo’s escape (there is no character name) there is no dialogue spoken by him during the entire film. We are lead through snow-covered forests that see our protagonist eat bugs and tree bark for nourishment, and gulp down mysterious berries that give him a bout of severe hallucinations - resulting in one of the films most breath-taking scenes.
The textural element of the snow combined with the exquisite lighting and focus often leads to some utterly gorgeous shots. Nature is key here, although the man is chased by the world’s most powerful army, his greatest obstacle is overcoming Mother Nature and her fierce elements and towering landscapes. There are constant flashbacks to his faith that act as a source of strength for him, helping him to continue. Vincent Gallo does “man on the edge” with gripping force; simultaneously exuding fear, isolation and emotion with convincing gusto.
‘Essential Killing’ succeeds on almost every conceivable level and is a consistently rewarding experience. It’s absorbing and alienating in equal measure, but always fascinating. The fragmented score is a visceral and haunting assault - one of the finest musical accompaniments I have encountered in some time, it matches the depraved helplessness of the character with wonderful execution. Some of the final shots are amongst the most beautiful, even in a deathly state we still see the resilience of nature in all its glory. It’s enthralling, without going all billboard quote on you, ‘Essential Killing’ is Essential Viewing.