Into the Abyss (2011)

Director: Werner Herzog

Writer: Werner Herzog

Composer: Mark De Gli Antoni

Starring: Werner Herzog, Richard Lopez, Michael Perry, Damon Hall, Lisa Stolter-Balloun, Charles Richardson, Jason Burkett, Jared Talbert, Amanda West, Delber Burkett, Melyssa Thompson-Burkett, Fred Allen

More info: IMDb

Tagline:A tale of death.  A tale of life.

Plot: In Conroe, Texas, 2001, Michael Perry and Jason Burkett broke into the home of an acquaintance, Jason Stotler, in the hopes of stealing a new car. When their plan began to unravel, Perry shot and killed Stotler's mother. After dumping the body, they then killed Stotler and another friend in order to regain access to the house inside of a gated community they had been locked out of. Shortly thereafter, the duo was arrested after a haphazard shootout and brought to justice. Perry was sentenced to death, Burkett to life in prison. With Perry's execution right around the corner, filmmaker Werner Herzog journeyed to the maximum security prison in Huntsville, Texas in order to interview the culprits, get the details of the case, and have a look at the concept of the death penalty.

My rating: 6.5/10

Will I watch it again?  No.

 I dig this guy's films.  Period.  With this documentary he talks to the two murderers as well as their families and the family and friends of the victim.  There's nothing new there.  He presents the information of the case in a slow, leisurely manner that really takes its time.  The music works well to help this creep along.  It's not really as interesting as you'd think.  These boneheads did a horrible thing and they're paying for it for the rest of their lives.  They're sacks of shit who will never be free again.  Frankly I don't see why Herzog chose them to film anything but to make his point about the death penalty.  I got the impression that he was going for a PARADISE LOST (1996) or a THIN BLUE LINE (1988) vibe but the film doesn't achieve the compelling nature of either of those films.  That's not to say I didn't like it.  It's a good film and it's worth a look-see but it's rather middle of the road and it left me thinking little of what I just watched.