Krzystof Kieslowski 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.
