'Into the Abyss': Herzog's latest journey looks into the soul, American justice -- 3 stars

<b> PG-13; 1:46 running time</b><br> <br> On most gravestones there's a dash between the year of birth and the year of death. The question facing us all, as one of the interview subjects in <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PECLB002362" title="Werner Herzog" href="/topic/entertainment/movies/werner-herzog-PECLB002362.topic">Werner Herzog</a> 's <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="0100000004593864" title="Documentary (genre)" href="/topic/arts-culture/genres/documentary-%28genre%29-0100000004593864.topic">documentary</a> “Into the Abyss" puts it, could neither be simpler nor larger: "How're you gonna live your dash?" Werner Herzog's new documentary explores a Texas triple homicide and asks: What good is the death penalty, anyway? The film is a river of pain, weirdly funny in places, as are all of Herzog's filmic essays.-- <a class="taxInlineTagLink" id="PECLB0000008127" title="Michael Phillips" href="/topic/arts-culture/journalism/michael-phillips-PECLB0000008127.topic">Michael Phillips</a><br> <br> Read the full <a href= http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-mov-1108-into-the-abyss-20111109,0,410355.column>"Into the Abyss" movie review</a>
sc-mov-1108-into-the-abyss-20111109-001

PG-13; 1:46 running time

On most gravestones there's a dash between the year of birth and the year of death. The question facing us all, as one of the interview subjects in Werner Herzog 's documentary “Into the Abyss" puts it, could neither be simpler nor larger: "How're you gonna live your dash?" Werner Herzog's new documentary explores a Texas triple homicide and asks: What good is the death penalty, anyway? The film is a river of pain, weirdly funny in places, as are all of Herzog's filmic essays.-- Michael Phillips

Read the full "Into the Abyss" movie review

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