MovieChat Forums > Krótki film o zabijaniu (1995) Discussion > I kinda felt like the death penalty shou...

I kinda felt like the death penalty should have stayed...

posted 13 years ago by hobbes007450
2 replies | jump to latest

simply because of the Taxi Driver's murder. The scene was so unbelievably disgusting I actually wanted Jacek to die so badly if I could have jumped into the screen and killed him myself, I would have. In the final scene, I was swayed a little coming up to his hanging, but the way his killing of the taxi man was shown so far outweighed them hanging him after he gets to take his mother's burial grounds and has the lawyer go and collect his photos for him.

Don't get me wrong, I don't support the penalty in any way, but if I had seen that and was the judge in his trial I would have done everything I could have to get it reinstated just for this particular guy.

ps Did anyone feel that the lawyer was perhaps a bit weak/lacking in enough screen time to make an effect on the film?

Apart from those two things this was an amazing film. One of the best things I've ever seen visually, and the fact that I reacted so strongly proves just what a powerful film it was, I guess.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Tin_ear 8 years ago

I agree with you that the film didn't really deal with the issue very well. I much prefer a film like The Oxbow Incident, which did more to change my mind and make me think than anything. The main problem with the death penalty, as I see it anyway, is simply the fact you cannot ever be sure you are killing the right guy--that is to say doubt. But we know that this man did it, and that he definitely planned it out, then played with kids while waiting to do it. The least convincing argument against the death penalty is that it is cruel--but again, this film practically portrays the lead character as a cold-blooded weirdo. Maybe that wasn't the point the director was making, but the indictment felt inert. I really didn't feel any great sympathy for this guy, either, so it was a weird way to approach the issue. The only way Kieslowski could make him seem human was to show him as immature and selfish. I expected a little more.