_Mr._Death:_The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Fred_A._Leuchter,_Jr._ (PG-13) **** (out of ****)
Errol Morris cements his reputation as the premier contemporary documentary filmmaker with this fascinating look at Fred Leuchter, a Massachusetts engineer whose specialty is tending to execution equipment. What begins an oddly endearing account of an odd man and his odd occupation becomes gradually darker--and even more absorbing--as Leuchter, being an "expert" on gas chambers and the like, is recruited by Holocaust denier Ernst Zündel to travel to Auschwitz and conduct a forensic analysis the "presumed" gas chambers. His report--in which he effectively "proves" that the Holocaust never happened--becomes a cornerstone of Holocaust deniers' beliefs while most others, in particular Jewish activists, are repulsed by his actions.
Morris leaves no doubt in the audience's mind that Leuchter is wrong; as a counter to his claims, he interviews a number of experts on the Holocaust and science who completely debunk Leuchter's "findings" by covering every way his research went wrong. But instead of taking the easy approach of labeling Leuchter as being an evil person and exploring just how bad he is, Morris is more interested in showing how a normal person can fall into the trap of doing and believing in such morally questionable things. One does not necessarily like Leuchter by the end of _Mr._Death_, but one is able to at least somewhat understand him and why he thinks the way he does--a deeper step that makes the film as exceptional as it is. (opens December 29)
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CinemaReview Magazine: http://www.CinemaReview.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
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