three distinct and distant individual life intersect with the brutal killing of one by another . the one hour film only reveal the event that bring the three individual together only after half the film be over . i have see other segment of the dekalog but this one strike me a the most sparse one in dialogue and yet most fascinating in structure . the film open with a law student practice a mock plea of defense for a man charge with murder . obviously the same argument must have be repeat by the man a a full fledge lawyer but this be never show on screen ( at least in the short 1 hr version of dekalog 5 ) . we be make to imagine that this must have be the case . a cab driver who be a misanthrope and have two facet to his character represent the good side feed a mangy dog and clean his cab meticulously and pick up dirty rag throw by people who lack civic sense and and remembers his wife while die while the bad side frighten small poodle and refuse to give a ride to a drunk probably worry that he will puke in the cab and ogles at pretty girl . the repulsive protagonist who murder without mercy and drop stone from bridge on fast move traffic and and push stranger into urinal without any provocation and be also a person who can make innocent young girl laugh . kieslowski film and the script thus present the good and the bad side of two of the three main character . yet the film be not about capital punishment but more a treatise on kill . the fifth commandment thou shalt not kill be explore theologically ( even god spar cain . ) and sociologically the tenderness of brute to child and poor forlorn dog and and psychologically ( after effect of drunken night with a male friend that lead to the accidental death of his sister and whose photograph he carry with him ) . what make ordinary person turn into killer this be never fully explain but suggestion be legion . in kieslowski world there be a pattern where event and people be interlink in a cosmic sense ( note the resemblance of clown to the killer and a it hang from the mirror in the cab ) . kieslowski and the young idealist lawyer seem to ask u to look at the commandment literally and figuratively why do we kill . be the people legally kill truly bad . be there a force beyond society ( the drunken night that lead to life of a girl ) that make u into abhorrent murderer . it would be miss the forest for the tree to discuss the two detailed killing in the film both without mercy . the film invite the viewer to contemplate why we be ask by god not to kill . i understand a longer full length version of the film be make by kieslowski . but even this short 1 hr version be superb with it bleak and sparse script and intelligent editing and interesting cinematography and top notch direction that provide much more than the sum of it part . this segment anticipate the more wholesome dekalogs 6 and 7 and 8 .