Open iTunes to preview, buy, and download this movie.
Plot Summary
In his fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, master filmmaker Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Grizzly Man) probes the human psyche to explore why people kill—and why a state kills. In intimate conversations with those involved, including 28-year-old death row inmate Michael Perry (scheduled to die within eight days of appearing on-screen), Herzog achieves what he describes as “a gaze into the abyss of the human soul.” Herzog’s inquiries also extend to the families of the victims and perpetrators as well as a state executioner and pastor who’ve been with death row prisoners as they’ve taken their final breaths. As he’s so often done before, Herzog’s investigation unveils layers of humanity, making an enlightening trip out of ominous territory.
Credits
Director
Producer
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
91%- Reviews Counted: 102
- Fresh: 93
- Rotten: 9
- Average Rating: 7.7/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: Herzog's investigation may not work as an anti-death-penalty editorial, but its findings are undeniably profound.
Fresh: A disquieting, heartbreaking look at American crime and punishment.
Fresh: The abyss here isn't capital punishment, the ostensible subject of the film; it's the seemingly unending capacity for causing and enduring pointless misery that humans seem to have.
Fresh: Herzog is pursuing no agenda with Into the Abyss, despite his opposition to extreme judicial measures. He's seeking to answer the question of why people kill, especially in a situation such as this where the reason for the murders was so meaningless.
Customer Reviews
A great capital punishment commentary
Disturbing and wonderful. Herzog is a master.
Intense, brilliant
Disturbing, painful to watch, but Herzog at his inquisitive and revealing best. If you know his work, you'll appreciate this study of the death penalty in the US.
good, not great
i am a pro-death penalty person who has meandering thoughts of moving to a no capital punishment system. this movie didn't really sway me either way….it was more a commentary on how senseless crimes are committed and how uneducated a large segment of the US population is.
Viewers Also Bought
- Cave of Forgotten Dreams
- Werner Herzog
- View In iTunes
- Deep Water
- Jerry Rothwell & Louise Osmond
- View In iTunes
- Project Nim
- James Marsh
- View In iTunes
- Encounters At the End of the World
- Werner Herzog
- View In iTunes
- The Gatekeepers
- Dror Moreh
- View In iTunes
- $19.99
- Genre: Documentary
- Released: 2011
- © MMXI CREATIVE DIFFERENCES PRODUCTIONS, INC. SKELLIG ROCK PRODUCTIONS, INC.