Review of Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999) by Kevin N — 15 Oct 2009
The brilliance of this documentary is in the way Errol Morris treats his subject, Fred Leuchter. The man goes from superhero to amusing social outcast to monsterous and finally to pathetic. I enjoy watching documentaries in which I am constantly wondering which side the director is on; Morris treats his subject with a strange kind of respect, even when everyone else (his audience included) wants the man ridiculed and punished.
Delicacy is the name of the game here, and by biding his time Morris presents a person so strange and complex that he must be human. The film goes from interesting to mysterious to infuriating, and each of these stages is well worth the price of admission.
This review of Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. (1999) was written by Kevin N on 15 Oct 2009.
Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. has generally received very positive reviews.
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