Into the abyss A tale of death, a tale of life

In 2001 in Conroe, TX, Jason Burkett and Michael Perry killed a housewife and her stepson and his friend because they wanted the woman's car for a joyride. Following a shootout with police, the teenagers were arrested. Both were convicted, but Burkett received a life sentence and Perry, the death penalty. Feature and documentary filmmaker Herzog (Encounters at the End of the World; Cave of Forgotten Dreams) uses archival police footage and his own stunning interviews with those close to the case to explore the events and raise questions about capital punishment. He declares early on that he is against the death penalty but does not seek to make a persuasive film. Law enforcement officials, the perpetrators, family members of the victims and the killers, a death row pastor, and a prison guard pour out their stories as Herzog's questions poke at their most tender places. All of the interviews pack a wallop and deal less with the facts of the case than with the complex human struggles of those involved. He speaks with an animated Perry in 2010, a mere eight days before his death, and to Burkett's prisoner father, who is clearly in pain about the ways in which he failed his son. Special features include English and Spanish SDH subtitles and the film's trailer. The music is a bit maudlin compared to Herzog's understated but penetrating style. VERDICT This film illuminates the fundamental moral issues of the taking of a life, no matter who is doing it. It will be appreciated by groups looking for a discussion starter on the subject of capital punishment.-Joan Pedzich, formerly with Harris Beach PLLC, Pittsford, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.