''Kiler'' (English: ''The Hitman'') is a 1997 Polish comedy by Juliusz Machulski, starring Cezary Pazura,

Jerzy Stuhr Jerzy Oskar Stuhr (; 18 April 1947 – 9 July 2024) was a Polish film actor, film and theatre actor. Considered one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish actors and an icon of Polish cinema, he also worked as a screenplay, screen ...

, Janusz Rewiński, Jan Englert,

Katarzyna Figura Katarzyna Małgorzata Figura (Polish pronunciation: ; born 22 March 1962) is a Polish film, theatre and television actress. She is sometimes billed as "Kasia Figura", as in ''Prêt-à-Porter (film), Prêt-à-Porter'', Robert Altman, Robert Altman' ...

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 '' Kile ...

. 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''.

Remake

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

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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

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

offering $600 000, and

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

, offering $10 000. The rights were sold to Hollywood Pictures who paid half of the money 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 ...

was planned to be the producer, and

Barry Levinson Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Levinson won the Academy Award for Best Director for '' Rain Man'' (1988). His other best-known works are ''Diner'' (1982), '' The Natural'' (1984 ...

, 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 production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

. After the poor reception of '' Wild Wild West'' 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 ...

was also interested in directing the movie.

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian and American actor and comedian. Known primarily for his energetic slapstick performances, he has received two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for BAFTA Awards and ...

and

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

Cast

* Cezary Pazura – Jerzy Kiler *

– Ewa Szańska *

– Jerzy Ryba *Janusz Rewiński – Stefan "Siara" Siarzewski *

– Ryszarda "Gabrysia" Siarzewska * Jan Englert – 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 Fever or pyrexia in humans ...

– "Wąski" * Marek Kondrat – 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 – "Uszat" * Paweł Deląg – 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 * 2025: '' Just One Look'' as Borys "Gajos" Gajewicz * 2022: '' Hold Tight'' as Borys "Gajos" Gajewicz * 2020: '' Angel of Death'' as Włodzimierz Suzin ...

– UOP officer * Maciej Kozłowski – prosecutor * Olaf Lubaszenko – 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 Films shot in Poland Films shot in Warsaw Films set in Warsaw Films set in 1997 Films about criminals Films about contract killing {{1990s-comedy-film-stub

Remake

Cast

See also

References

External links