Review of Into the Abyss (2011) by Harjeet K — 07 Feb 2012

Werner Herzog has made a very sad, powerful documentary here with "Into the Abyss". I actually never much followed Herzog's career till I saw the masterpiece "Grizzly Man", but I've seen much of his work since and I'm definitely a fan.

Here, he makes a film about capital punishment, using a triple homicide committed by two young men as his base. The film analyzes the crime, the senselessness of it, and how it affected the criminals and families involved.

But this film creates a debate about whether or not there is a right to kill, even as a punishment for murder. Herzog has one interview with a former death row prison guard who had witnessed many executions, but just suddenly retired because he couldn't take it anymore.

And the film has many other tough, emotional moments as well. The one that got me the most was when the father of one of the convicted killers, who is also in prison himself, recalls how he was able to convince a jury not to give his son the death penalty.

It's a moving moment that really punctuates the effectiveness of this film.