Name: Essential Killing
Genre: Thriller, War
Released: 2010-09-06
Duration: 1 h 24 min
Cast: Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, David L. Price, Zach Cohen, Iftach Ophir

Where to watch

Set your services

Fingerprint

Not for warmth, uplift or comfort.

Movies with

Story

Run to live... kill to survive.

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

Feels like

Survival Thriller
Manhunt
Wordless Narrative
Bleak Realism
Violent Struggle
Psychological Trauma
Frantic Escape
Harsh Polish Landscape
Moral Ambiguity

Cast

9 of 9

Crew

Directed by: Jerzy Skolimowski
Written by: Jerzy Skolimowski, James McManus, Ewa Piaskowska
Produced by: Jerzy Skolimowski, Ewa Piaskowska
Music by: Paweł Mykietyn

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Titles like Essential Killing

nearer = more alike

8

You are here: Essential Killing

Point to compare, tap or drag to moveHold to compare, tap or drag to move

You are herePreview

vscompared with Essential Killing

Essential Killing2010

Point at a poster to compare itHold a poster to compare it

This pageTap it to move here

A chip fills to its level. Tap a full one for titles without that trait, a low one for titles with it.

Open a page:Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)Athena (2022)The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (2025)28 Weeks Later (2007)Sicario (2015)The Dogs of War (1980)The Punisher: One Last Kill (2026)The Crazies (1973)You Were Never Really Here (2017)Fauda (2015)The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (2024)The Unthinkable (2018)2000 Meters to Andriivka (2025)Echo 3 (2022)The Survivalist (2015)The Kingdom (2007)Lioness (2023)Kajaki (2014)13 Tzameti (2006)Waar (2013)Marvel's The Punisher (2017)The Dead (2010)Civil War (2024)New Order (2020)DC (2026)The Terminal List (2022)The Amateur (2025)Facing El Chapo (2026)Triple Frontier (2019)Beasts of No Nation (2015)Parasyte: The Grey (2024)Breaking (2022)A House of Dynamite (2025)Rolling Thunder (1977)The Bourne Supremacy (2004)Romper Stomper (1992)SIX (2017)Runaway Train (1985)The Tribe (2014)Baby (2015)'71 (2014)Nowhere (2023)Shiri (1999)Violent Cop (1989)Casualties of War (1989)Traitor (2008)D.P. (2021)Tanaav (2022)The Yellow Sea (2010)Concrete Utopia (2023)Funny Games (1997)Spartan (2004)Holy Spider (2022)The Professional (1981)Candy (2021)The Furious (2026)Courage Under Fire (1996)At the Bar (2007)Black Sunday (1977)The Experiment (2001)Cartel Land (2015)The Assignment (1997)Vishwaroopam (2013)The Hunter (2011)

More thriller movies

Gone Girl (2014)
GoodWatch score 82
The Departed (2006)
GoodWatch score 87
Children of Men (2006)
GoodWatch score 85
Argo (2012)
GoodWatch score 84
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
GoodWatch score 78
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
GoodWatch score 78
Primetime (2026)
GoodWatch score 72
The Running Man (2025)
GoodWatch score 61

Facts

September 6, 2010 · 1 h 24 min · Violence, Disturbing Imagery

Released: September 6, 2010
Runtime: 1 h 24 min
Content: Violence, Disturbing Imagery
Genres: Thriller, War
Original language: English
Also spoken: Polish, Arabic
Made in: Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary
Budget: $4 million
Available in: 28 countries

Q&A

3 questions, like "Where can I stream Essential Killing?"

Questions about Essential Killing

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream Essential Killing?

In the United States, Essential Killing is free with ads on The Roku, Kanopy, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Plex, Fawesome, and Tubi TV. You can rent or buy it from Google Play Movies, YouTube, and Fandango At Home. It also streams in 9 other countries.

Is Essential Killing worth watching?

66

GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 66 (IMDb 6.1 and Rotten Tomatoes 77%). Critics rate it higher (77 out of 100) than audiences (54).

Will I feel good after watching Essential Killing?

BleakHopeful

Probably not: the title analysis rates it 9 of 10 for bleakness and 7 for melancholy, against 1 for hopefulness.