errol morris , critically acclaimed director of the 1997 documentary fast , cheap and out of control ,
vaults to new heights with mr .
death .
this film , an examination of the life and work of controversial execution equipment designer and revisionist historian fred a . leuchter , jr . , is sure to draw audiences out of their malaise , stunning even the more jaded minds among us .
do n't let the film 's cheesy dissuade you .
following this sideshow of horror - lab special effects we are plunged quickly into a non - stop exploration of the weirdness that is leuchter 's life and mind .
morris follows the trail of leuchter 's madness with appalling lucidity , revealing in a surprising and frightening way what most of us could have guessed to begin with : this leuchter guy is seriously messed up . virtually raised within the american penal system by a father who worked within prison walls , leuchter seems to have come somewhat naturally into his profession ; designing and maintaining execution equipment for state penitentiaries , in spite of his lack of credentials .
after a moderately successful career making electric chairs and designing gas chambers and gallows , leuchter came to the attention of neo - nazi and revisionist historian ernst zundel , who was facing criminal charges in germany for publishing his ` theory ' that the holocaust never happened .
morris 's interviews are surprisingly congenial , drawing the subjects into a carefree banter that gives them more than enough rope with which to hang themselves .
zundel speaks to the camera as though it were his mensch .
leuchter seems completely at ease , sometimes jovial .
part of this effect may be due to morris 's new interviewing machine , called the interrotron , which is responsible for creating eye contact between the subject and the interviewer .
this was the first time morris had used the device , and the results are startling .
combine the irony of these interviews with leuchter 's reenactments and reels of creepy stock footage of his trip to auschwitz and birkenau , not to mention a haunting clip of thomas edison electrocuting an elephant , and
you 've got one compelling and disturbing documentary .
while this film is n't for the feeble - minded or weak - hearted , it is a valuable addition to the cultural landscape . aside from a few dragging minutes toward the end of the piece , morris has given us a fresh look at a dismal subject and i , for one , feel bettered by the experience .
vaults to new heights you 've got one compelling and disturbing documentary a valuable addition to the cultural landscape