Into the Abyss
Metascore
74 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 30
  3. Negative: 1 out of 30
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  1. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Calvin Wilson
    Nov 23, 2011
    100
    Into the Abyss makes a strong case for the inhumanity of capital punishment, regardless of the crime or the criminal.
  2. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Amy Biancolli
    Nov 10, 2011
    100
    Herzog, as ever, is obsessed most of all with human nature: Into the Abyss explores our deepest urges to love, and live, and kill.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Nov 9, 2011
    100
    Into the Abyss may be the saddest film Werner Herzog has ever made. It regards a group of miserable lives, and in finding a few faint glimmers of hope only underlines the sadness.
  4. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Peter Rainer
    Dec 3, 2011
    91
    It gives ample play to all sides of the argument. Herzog allows us to think things through on our own.
  5. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Alison Willmore
    Nov 9, 2011
    90
    Into the Abyss, which bears the subtitle "A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life," reveals itself to be an outlandish, compassionate and, at times, improbably buoyant film about life's capacity for grief and horror and about how it bubbles on miraculously in the face of such things. It's the best thing Herzog's done in years.
  6. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Rene Rodriguez
    Dec 1, 2011
    88
    The overriding point of Into the Abyss, what keeps this sad, sorrowful film from becoming depressing and elevates it far above the usual chatter of liberal-conservative debate, is that there can be light on the other end of even the darkest of tunnels.
  7. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    Nov 17, 2011
    88
    Into the Abyss is a true-crime drama, to be sure, but in Herzog's hands it becomes something much more: an inquiry into fundamental moral, philosophical, and religious issues, and an examination of humankind's capacity for violence - individual and institutional.
  8. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    Nov 11, 2011
    88
    Werner Herzog looks at the death penalty in Into the Abyss, and as is almost always the case, to look through his eyes is to marvel.
  9. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    Nov 10, 2011
    88
    What Herzog almost accidentally captures in his viewfinder is profound and unsettling: an entire American underclass where at least some prison time is the norm and where only luck and the grace of God keep a person from either wrong end of the shotgun.
  10. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Bill Weber
    Nov 5, 2011
    88
    Underlying the occasionally harrowing, consistently mournful tone is a philosophy that, more than being explicitly anti-capital punishment, puts both family ties and the social contract at the center of people's self-worth.
  11. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Scott Tobias
    Nov 9, 2011
    83
    His film powerfully suggests that violent death of any kind, whether personal or state-mandated, transforms everyone in its vicinity.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.3 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. Remmiz
    9
    Excellent documentary from Herzog. But it is important to keep in mind that this isn't The Thin Blue Line, and instead of turning this documentary into some kind of television crime drama, Herzog simply explores the crime, and the minds of those involved and affected by it. Excellent documentary.… Full Review »
  2. jdicksteihn
    5
    Interesting and sad, but not very thorough. Is it just me, or does Herzog never challenge either of the convicted killers on their versions of the story, which is that they didn't kill these people? It feels like he avoided the issue and just let them tell their story, and let everyone else tell their story, and left it for us to figure out. But the big payoff that never occurs is that these two convicted murderers are never forced to face the ugly thing they did. If Herzog is taking the stance that they were innocent, then he should have pushed harder against the authorities. But he doesn't do that either. The effect is just a huge letdown of a movie, where we hear account after account of a needlessly brutal crime occurring, and being bragged about. And then we see the alleged perpetrators claim they didn't do it. The real question of this movie: 'why would they commit these terrible acts to steal a car?' - is never even posed to either of the two people convicted. This seems to me to be too laid back an approach for a story that begs for larger answers.… Full Review »
  3. JamesL
    6
    I really did not get much why out of this film than I would from a television show. . Why did they kill? Stupid? Why death in one case and life in the other? Money/jurors? Maybe it is all unexplainable. I did not think Herzog delved into any of it enough to offer a case or documentary with a passion. The most interesting part was the death row groupie but even there the ball was dropped. She was obviously as nutty as the murderers but why. Again, no real insight. Don't go out of your way to see it.… Full Review »
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