film initially divides itself into following three men who seem randomly chosen. But tension begins to be ratcheted up as we see their paths beginning to dovetail, with the editing, cinematography, and cropping leaving little hope that their meeting will be anything but brutal and deadly.
That explosion, however, isn't the most disturbing event Kieslowski has in store for the horrified viewer. Since this is a very under-seen and under-appreciated film, I won't continue its description: see it or miss a masterpiece which has made more than a few best 100 of all time lists.
"Fists in the Pocket" is an Italian film by Marco Bellocchio which also examines, as a young boy might an insect impaled upon a pin, the darker side of human nature. Bellocchio, however, places the viewer into that world merely as an observer. Kieslowski indicts society, the justice system in the strongest such statement possible.
If you know him only for his "Red," "White," and "Blue" films, you're in for a shock!
"I am always reluctant to single out some particular feature of the work of a major filmmaker because it tends inevitably to simplify and reduce the work. But in this book of screenplays by Krzysztof Kieslowski and his co-author, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, it should not be out of place to observe that they have the very rare ability to dramatize their ideas rather than just talking about them. By making their points through the dramatic action of the story they gain the added power of allowing the audience to discover what's really going on rather than being told. They do this with such dazzling skill, you never see the ideas coming and don't realize until much later how profoundly they have reached your heart.
Stanley Kubrick January 1991 [1]
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Topic - "A Short Film about Killing:" Krzstof (?) Kieslowski's disturbing - tinear 14:45:29 11/11/08 (2)
- Yes... - Rod H. 15:18:36 11/12/08 (1)
- I didn't like, "Love," anywhere near as much as "Killing." - tinear 16:57:42 11/12/08 (0)