''Kiler'' (English: ''The Hitman'') is a 1997 Polish comedy by

Juliusz Machulski Juliusz Machulski (born 10 March 1955 in Olsztyn) is a Poles, Polish film director and screenplay writer. Son of noted actor Jan Machulski, Juliusz became notable for his comedies ridiculing the life in communist-ruled Poland of the 1970s and 198 ...

, starring

Cezary Pazura Cezary Andrzej Pazura (born 13 June 1962 in Tomaszów Mazowiecki) is a Polish actor known for his comedy roles in movies such as ''Kiler'', ''Chłopaki nie płaczą'', ''Kariera Nikosia Dyzmy'' and the sitcom '' 13 posterunek''. In addition to h ...

Jerzy Stuhr Jerzy Oskar Stuhr (; born 18 April 1947) is a Polish film and theatre actor. He is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor. He served as the Rector of th ...

, Janusz Rewiński,

Jan Englert Jan Aleksander Englert (born 11 May 1943) is a Polish film actor. He has appeared in more than 60 films since 1957. Since 2003 he has served as Artistic Director of the National Theatre, Warsaw, National Theatre in Warsaw. Biography In 1957 ...

, Katarzyna Figura and

Małgorzata Kożuchowska Małgorzata Dorota Kożuchowska (born April 27, 1971) is a Polish actress and TV presenter. She is best known as Hanna Mostowiak in the very popular Polish television series, ''M jak miłość'', Ewa Szańska in the movies ''Kiler'' and '' Kiler- ...

. The movie is a story of a taxi driver named Jerzy (short: Jurek) Kiler who is mistaken for a notorious mercenary killer by the police as well as the mafia. The film has a sequel; ''

Kiler-ów 2-óch ''Kilerów 2-óch'' ('' en, Two Hitmen'') is a continuation of ''Kiler'' movie, directed in 1997. The film premiered 8 January 1999 in Poland and like the first part it has received financial and critical success. Plot The time flies and Jurek ...

''.

Remake

Seeing the movie's tremendous success in Poland, two film studios from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

started negotiations to buy the rights to make an English version of the film:

Hollywood Pictures Hollywood Pictures was an American film production label of Walt Disney Studios, founded and owned by The Walt Disney Company. Established on February 1, 1989, by then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner and then-studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, Hollywood ...

offering $600 000, and

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, $10 000. The rights were sold to Hollywood Pictures who paid half of the many on the spot and agreed to pay the rest after the end of film production.

Barry Josephson Barry Josephson (born April 2, 1956) is an American film producer and former music manager. Life and career After attending the McBurney School in New York City, Josephson graduated from American University, Washington DC in 1978, and was an ac ...

were planet to be the producer, and

Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...

, the director. The original director of Polish film, Juliusz Machulski was planned to be the

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

. After the poor reception of ''

Wild Wild West ''Wild Wild West'' is a 1999 American steampunk Western film co-produced and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock alongside Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, from a story penned by brothers Jim and John ...

'' made by Josephson and Levinson, two stopped working together, putting aside the possibility of working on the film adaptation.

Barry Sonnenfeld Barry Sonnenfeld (born April 1, 1953) is an American filmmaker and television director. He originally worked as a cinematographer for the Coen brothers before directing films such as ''The Addams Family'' (1991) and its sequel ''Addams Family Va ...

was also interested in directing the movie.

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

and

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...

were rumored to be considered to portray the main character of the film The film was set to happen in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, with the plot revolving around a taxi driver who accidentally got confused for the world-famous hitman. The production was meant to be appropriated into the American market and had different than original, humour. The production of the film was planned to start in 1999 or 2000, however it never happened. In 2007, the studio responsible for the production was disestablished.

Cast

– Jerzy Kiler *

– Ewa Szańska *

– Jerzy Ryba *Janusz Rewiński – Stefan "Siara" Siarzewski * Katarzyna Figura – Ryszarda "Gabrysia" Siarzewska *

– Ferdynand Lipski *

Krzysztof Kiersznowski Krzysztof Kiersznowski (26 November 1950 – 24 October 2021) was a Polish actor. He appeared in more than 60 films and television shows from 1977 to 2021. Selected filmography * ''Vabank'' (1981) * ''Fever'' (1981) * '' Kiler-ów 2-óch'' ...

– "Wąski" *

Marek Kondrat Marek Tadeusz Kondrat (born 18 October 1950) is a former Polish TV, film and theatrical actor, director. Career He is a graduate of the Jan Śniadecki High School No. 30 in Warsaw. In 1972, he graduated from the National Academy of Dramatic ...

– director Mieczysław Klonisz *

Jan Machulski Jan Henryk Machulski (3 July 1928 – 20 November 2008) was a Polish theater director, as well as a film and theatrical actor. He appeared in more than 45 film roles and 70 theater roles throughout his career. Personal life Machulski was born in ...

– Zenek *Sławomir Sulej – "Kudłaty" *Piotr Wawrzyńczak – "Iks" *Lech Dyblik – "Wstrętny" *

Władysław Komar Władysław Stefan Komar (11 April 1940 – 17 August 1998) was a Polish shot putter, actor and cabaretist. Competing in three Summer Olympics between 1964 and 1972, he won the gold medal at the Munich Games in 1972 with a throw of 21.18 metre ...

– "Uszat" *

Paweł Deląg Paweł Maciej Deląg (born 29 April 1970 in Kraków) is a Polish actor. Filmography * ''Schindler's List'' (''Lista Schindlera'', 1993, USA) - Dolek Horowitz * ''Death In Shallow Water'' (''Halal sekely vizben'', 1994, Hungary) - Peter * ''Fitn ...

– Jarosław *Marcin Figurski – Stanisław *Alex Murphy – Hector Sosa * Szymon Majewski – Mioduch * Paweł Wawrzecki – UOP officer *

Mirosław Zbrojewicz Mirosław Zbrojewicz (born 25 February 1957) is a Polish actor. Filmography Actor cast * 2018: '' My Secret Terrius'' (내 뒤에 테리우스) as spy * 2013: '' Spies of Warsaw (TV Series)'' as Marek * 2011: '' Kac Wawa'' as "Kaban" * 2010 ...

– UOP officer *

Maciej Kozłowski Maciej Kozlowski (8 September 1957 – 11 May 2010) was a Polish actor, mostly known for his roles in ''Kingsajz'', ''Psy'', ''Kiler'', '' With Fire and Sword'' and ''Schindler's List'' and the TV series '' M jak miłość''. Kozlowski was ...

– prosecutor *

Olaf Lubaszenko Olaf Sergiusz Linde-Lubaszenko (born 6 December 1968)Olaf Lubaszenko
at the Polish Internet Movie Database

– himself *Joanna Janikowska – Evita *Sławomir Orzechowski – the real Kiler *Małgorzata Drozd – secretary * Cezary Żak – barman

References

External links

* 1997 films Polish comedy films 1990s Polish-language films Films directed by Juliusz Machulski 1997 comedy films {{1990s-comedy-film-stub

Remake

Cast

See also

References

External links