In a small town in Texas, two young men knock on the door of a woman’s house as she’s making cookies. They ask to use her phone. But as her back is turned, they kill her and then two other innocent bystanders all so they can enjoy a brief joyride in her car. In the end, one murderer is sentenced to life in prison. The other is given the death penalty. Werner Herzog’s newest documentary looks at this case, and at the bigger picture of capitol punishment. The film is called “Into the Abyss: A Story of Life, a Story of Death.” Herzog is also the Academy Award-nominated director of “Grizzly Man,” “Encounters at the End of the World,” and many other films.
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