Werner Herzog’s documentary on Capital Punishment, Into The Abyss is a look into the lives of two perpetrators and the families of the victims of a triple-murder crime. Michael Perry is on death-row and his accomplice Jason Burkett serves a 40-year life sentence. using interviews of the guilty, victims’ families and officials, the documentary provides in-depth information on the motive and details of the crime, it’s effect and the process of capital punishment. Herzog, though, seems apathetic to the plight of death-row inmate, yet concerned about the victims’ families. Hence, even though it doesn’t take any obvious sides (for or against the death penalty), the film sets up a sublime thought that the perpetrators are getting what they deserve. It also fails to dig deeper and ask the questions that needed to be asked – What drove the two boys to commit the crime? Why do they say they are innocent when they had confessed earlier? How wide-spread and frequent is this issue, and/or capital punishment? The documentary asks no such questions, provides no such answers, and therefore remains just a mediocre documentary – especially coming from a master director.
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