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Richard Lopez, Michael Perry, Damon Hall, Lisa Stotler-Balloun, Charles L. Richardson ... see more see more... , Jason Burkett , Jared Talbert , Amanda West , Delbert Burkett , Melyssa Thompson-Burkett , Fred Allen , Werner Herzog

In his fascinating exploration of a triple homicide case in Conroe, Texas, master filmmaker Werner Herzog probes the human psyche to explore why people kill-and why a state kills. In intimate conversa... read more read more...tions 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. -- (C) Official Site

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96 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Werner Herzog

Release Date: November 11, 2011

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DVD Release Date: April 10, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (277)

  • SirPant
    May 17, 2012
    SirPant
    I find Herzog's typical lack of agenda to be refreshing although I think it confuses many. In Into the Abyss he explores why people kill, his only opinion voiced is that killing is wrong and the rest is as it is. It's the purest form of documentary really when you think about it,... read more nothing is forced and no one is targeted. It is a document of people, at a time, in a place. You should always be the one who determines your own opinion, Werner simply instigates the discussion. My opinion? Don't live in Texas - if you don't get murdered you'll probably get hit by a train! In all seriousness though, this is worth watching for the honest interview with one of the fathers of the accused who is also serving time in prison. Heartbreaking stuff.
  • flixsterman
    April 21, 2012
    flixsterman
    For better or for worse, Herzog is unable to make a distinction between film making and film directing. His 'interviews' are unapologetically injected with his own personal beliefs and ideas. This being said, Into The Abyss is still a fascinating watch.
  • axadntpron
    April 14, 2012
    axadntpron
    Werner Herzog is a peculiar specimen. He has such a presence behind the camera that it seems he cares nothing for the illusion of objectivity. From his uncommon voice, swelling music, and manipulative questions, one can see the puppeteer's strings right away. I know that not ever... read morey documentarian needs to be absent from the film entirely, but Herzog invaded this film in such a way that I could hardly focus on the story he was trying to tell.
    For instance, in the very opening scene in a conversation with Michael Perry, the death row inmate that the film is centered around, Herzog doesn't even get two questions in before launching into a diatribe against capital punishment.
    During subsequent interviews he manages to not only throw in some jokes with his subjects, but he easily gets off on tangents about tattoos and relationships. Again, I don't mind him having a light-hearted conversations once in a while, but what the hell is this doing in the final film? It adds nothing to the story.
    Herzog's patented profundity pervades every scene as well. The passionate music pumps through the speakers while the viewer gets treated to an agonizing amount of crime scene footage. His camera lingers on a subject in silence for a bit too long, as if he were hoping to capture something spontaneous, but to no avail.
    It isn't all bad. Especially during the final act when he gets into the protocols of administering the death penalty. It seems to be the only time he let's the material speak for itself. Which is a shame because I felt he had the makings of a great film. Unfortunately, I too often found myself thinking, "What the hell is Herzog doing?"
  • fb791220692
    April 12, 2012
    fb791220692
    While it isn't free from documentarian Werner Herzog's usual pretention and his transparent attempts to find profound inspiration in absolutely every moment," Into The Abyss" moves at a great pace and covers an inherently captivating topic (death row). More importantly, the docum... read moreentary is emotionally powerful both in what is shows and what it says about life and death. I may find Herzog slightly annoying, but I have to hand it to him, he knows exactly what to ask his interviewees to get them to open up and say exactly the right things. Not exactly as good as Herzog's "Grizzly Man," but it taps into the same feeling of being just close enough to death to really appreciate life.
  • 366weirdmovies
    December 14, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    Documentary covering the last days of Michael Perry, convicted of committing a triple murder for a red Camaro valued at a couple of thousand dollars. Many frightening, sad people are interviewed, but the scariest character of all may be a death row groupie in serious denial. It... read more's raw, it's real, but its seriously depressing; we go into the abyss, and we never come out. The "message of hope" at the end is bitterly ironic.
  • fb1619601747
    April 10, 2012
    fb1619601747
    Another fascinating documentary by Herzog, very even-handed, and not too political. A documentary is supposed to make you think about what you're watching, and this one sure as hell succeeds in doing just that.
  • gator681
    November 28, 2011
    gator681
    Without going on his usual tangents, Werner Herzog has created a very effective and haunting argument against the death penalty with his latest documentary, "Into the Abyss." Of the arguments, the most damning is that it is no deterrent against future murders. Case in point, th... read moreere is Michael Perry, who at the age of 18 with Jason Burkett killed three people, all for a car which they drove for three days before they were arrested in a shootout after bragging about it to friends.

    To Herzog, nobody should be executed by the state, even Perry who ten years later is on death row while Burkett serves a life sentence and is eligible for parole in 2041. Herzog tells Perry that while he respects him for what he is going through, he also hates him for what he has done. While Perry had possibly a more stable home life, Burkett's father was in and out of jail when he was growing up, now in for a life sentence. It is implied that this led to Burkett's downfall. Ironically, it is Burkett's father who saved his son's life with an emotional speech at the trial.

    They are not the only people Herzog talks to. While also steering clear of experts, he interviews family of the victims, pointing out how utterly senseless both the murder and execution are, with the execution being more sterile. And there is an interview with a former guard captain who presided over sometimes two executions in a week who could no longer go on with his job and still suffers from those memories. In the end, Herzog returns to a graveyard, full of anonymous convicts whose bodies were never claimed by family.
  • fb1364753347
    May 15, 2012
    fb1364753347
    Herzog sketches a human portrait on his theme, death seems to be in the background and his focus is on life. However, I found the 3 hour long portraits for his miniseries Death Row to be far more fascinating because in In To the Abyss there didn't seem to be much exploration of ... read morethe inmates as there was in the miniseries portraits. The documentary itself is subjective more than presenting both sides of the argument, Herzog personal beliefs drive its focus but none the less it is a interesting doc. Watch out for the interview with an ex lethal injection doctor, that is magnificent and his story could have been a fascinating documentary in itself.
  • danieljparsons
    May 6, 2012
    danieljparsons
    A moving, beautifully made documentary which at under 2 hrs still manages to present an exhaustive look at the death penalty. Werner Herzog admits early on his anti capital punishment stance which informs the film, yet some of the interviewees have other views and the film allows... read more the viewer to make up their own mind. Ultimately thought provoking, "Into the Abyss" confirmed my own opinion that killing murderers is not humane, just, or an answer.
  • fb1065590523
    April 22, 2012
    fb1065590523
    This is one of the most emotionally tormenting documentaries I have ever watched, and with good reason. It provides and new and dense perspective of capital punishment, following those convicted and the families affected. The documentary's greatest success is its portrayal of bot... read moreh sides of the story, almost free of bias. While Herzog might not be the best interviewer, his film is unremittingly dark, melancholic, and above all, important.

View All Into The Abyss Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Howell
December 9, 2011
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

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 wh... Full Review

Peter Rainer
December 2, 2011
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

Into the Abyss does what too few documentaries these days do - it gives ample play to all sides of the argument. Herzog allows us to think things through on our own. Full Review

Roger Moore
November 27, 2011
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Herzog has managed another strange and intriguing look at a culture and the sorts of people it creates - victims, cops and criminals. Full Review

Peter Debruge
November 18, 2011
Peter Debruge, Variety

Herzog's investigation may not work as an anti-death-penalty editorial, but its findings are undeniably profound. Full Review

Sheri Linden
November 18, 2011
Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter

A disquieting, heartbreaking look at American crime and punishment. Full Review

Tom Long
November 18, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

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. Full Review

Steven Rea
November 17, 2011
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

An inquiry into fundamental moral, philosophical, and religious issues, and an examination of humankind's capacity for violence - individual and institutional. Full Review

James Berardinelli
November 15, 2011
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Watching Into the Abyss, I had the overwhelming sense that, somewhere along the way, Werner Herzog lost his way. Full Review

Colin Covert
November 14, 2011
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

It's like a TV crime reality show made by an alien. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
November 11, 2011
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

What could have been a well-aimed examination of the most troubling contradictions of capital punishment instead becomes a maudlin, unrestrained wallow. Full Review

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    • Michael Perry: I tell people all the time, I'm either going home, or home.
    • Jason Burkett: I want fifty children.
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Into The Abyss Trivia

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