Scott Springmann - Decalogue 5

This film was extremely compelling, much like the first one. This particular film was based upon the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” a weaves a narrative in which at first we see a young man murder a loathsome taxi driver for no apparent reason. We then see his trial and witness the defense case made by his lawyer. As we go through the defense, we see the lawyer get to know his client really well, and we see the client in a human light. The lawyer ends up losing the case and the murderer is sentenced to death. We see the cycle of killing continue as the murderer is forced into the hangman’s noose, and we feel sympathetic towards him. The film ends with the lawyer crying in his car and yelling “I abhor it!” talking about the cycle of death, and the death penalty in general. This particular film takes an obvious stance against the death penalty and it shows how violence begets more violence.