Featuring: Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.
Director: Errol Morris
Producers: David Collins, Michael Williams, Dorothy Aufiero
Cinematography: Peter Donahue, Robert Richardson
Music: Caleb Simpson
U.S. Distributor: Lions Gate Releasing
What is evil? On the surface, that seems like a simple question to answer, but, to borrow a familiar maxim, the devil is in the details. For example, while most would accept that Hitler was evil, what about the men occupying the rungs of power immediately beneath him? Or how about those under their command? And so on... At what point do these individuals cease being "evil" and start being "misguided", "cowardly", or "ignorant"? It is into this singularly fascinating moral arena that acclaimed documentarian Errol Morris has strayed with his latest, and arguably most absorbing, movie. Yet, for all the intriguing philosophical questions pondered by Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter Jr., this is first and foremost a character study.
To begin with, who is Fred Leuchter, and why has a filmmaker of Morris' caliber used him as the subject of a major documentary? By his own admission, Leuchter is an "execution technologist", who, from an early age, has harbored a fascination with death. As he grew older and became an engineer, Leuchter used his knowledge to design new, "more humane" (his words, not mine) electric chairs intended to eliminate the kind of horror stories that are often told and occasionally shown (as in The Green Mile) about electrocutions. This goal of this new approach was to make electrocution a safer, cheaper, and less horrific means of state-mandated killing. And, after achieving success with the electric chair, Leuchter was asked to stretch his scientific know-how to design a lethal injection machine for the state of New Jersey. At one point, he comments, "I sleep well at night - people executed by my machines have dignified, painless deaths."
Eventually, Leuchter's reputation as an "execution technologist" was eclipsed by another aspect of his life. This happened a decade ago when he became a key witness in the trial of Ernst Zundel. Zundel, a neo-Nazi, selected Leuchter as an expert witness to corroborate his assertion that the Holocaust was a hoax. On his 1988 honeymoon, Leuchter could be found poking around the ruins of Auschwitz, taking samples and evaluating the evidence. His conclusion: the so-called "showers" could not have been used as gas chambers without killing everyone in the camp (including the Nazis). Further studies led Leuchter to believe that Zundel was correct: 6 million Jews were not killed in death camps. In his opinion, it was not scientifically feasible. And, at least on the surface, his arguments sound persuasive.
It would be easy to label Leuchter as a hate-monger and an anti-Semite, but, as the film illustrates, he is neither. The man does not hate Jews, nor is he a neo-Nazi supporter. Leuchter, who lacks an imposing physical presence (he looks like a "typical" aging engineer, with a receding hairline and spectacles), is motivated by scientific principles. The problem is, his methods are flawed. He developed a hypothesis, but, in gathering the evidence to support it, he ignored facts that pointed to another conclusion. Leuchter, like many single-minded people, was blinded by hubris. Even today, he is still convinced of his own infallibility. He cannot see another possibility because he isn't looking for one. He disproved the existence of the Holocaust based on a faulty premise and through an investigation that was riddled with inaccuracies.
Morris' intention in Mr. Death is not to investigate the "revisionist history movement" (although he presents ample evidence to refute Leuchter's assertions). Instead, it is to examine the contradictions that comprise Leuchter's personality - how a seemingly meek and naïve person could become the willing instrument of a group driven by racial hatred and intolerance. And, by presenting Leuchter sympathetically, Morris disallows us the comfort of simply labeling the man as "evil" and moving on to another target. Mr. Death is a compelling film because it paints Leuchter in three dimensions.
Even had he not been involved with Zundel, Leuchter would have a made a worthy subject for one of Morris' movies. His views of execution are bizarre. Although decidedly pro-death penalty, Leuchter believes that men about to be executed have the right to die with dignity and without suffering. So he has devoted much of his life to creating machines that make the process more efficient. Leuchter doesn't view the term of "humane execution" as an oxymoron. Instead he sees it as a worthy goal. Morris, on the other hand, recognizes the incongruity in his subject's philosophy and repeatedly points it out. The director peppers his film with moments of wry humor, and the project as a whole is steeped in irony. There are times when Mr. Death is very funny - although much of the comedy is shaded with a black brush.
Initially, Morris had intended to include a segment about Leuchter is his previous effort, Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control. However, the filmmaker became so fascinated by the "execution technologist" that he decided to devote an entire documentary to him. The results prove the validity of Morris' instincts. Ultimately, Mr. Death is a masterful character study that raises dozens of questions about morality, scientific process, and human nature. The film's most noteworthy characteristic is that it gives us real insight into the workings of the lead character's mind, and challenges us to form our own opinions. For that reason alone, it is a highly rewarding experience.
© 2000 James Berardinelli