Watch Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. is a documentary film directed by Errol Morris that takes a provocative and disturbing look at one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century, Fred A. Leuchter Jr. The movie delves into the life and work of this self-proclaimed execution expert, exploring his rise to national prominence and his eventual downfall in the wake of controversy and scandal.

Leuchter was a man who claimed to be able to build a better electric chair and gas chamber, and was responsible for constructing execution systems used in several states, including Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina. He was even called upon to investigate the gas chambers used during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, and his findings were used as evidence in a trial against Holocaust denier Ernst Zundel.

The film follows Leuchter as he travels to Auschwitz to collect samples from the remaining gas chambers. He returns to the US with his samples, which he has analyzed in a lab, and presents his findings in court. This marks the beginning of Leuchter's downfall, as he is vilified by the media and Jewish organizations for his work on behalf of Zundel. His business is ruined, and he is left a pariah in the eyes of many.

The documentary raises a number of complex ethical and moral questions about the relationship between science and politics, and about the intertwined nature of historical memory and national identity. Leuchter's work on the gas chambers, for example, is seen by many as an attempt to rewrite history, or to cast doubt on what should be irrefutable facts about one of the darkest periods in human history.

The film is structured around interviews with Leuchter himself, as well as with some of his critics and supporters. We see old footage of him at work in the prisons, and we hear him talk about his views on capital punishment and the Holocaust. We also hear from people like Robert Jan Van Pelt, a historian and Holocaust expert who refutes many of Leuchter's claims, and from David Irving, a notorious Holocaust denier who has taken up Leuchter's cause.

Through it all, Morris crafts a compelling, thought-provoking film that challenges us to consider the nature of truth and how it is constructed in our society. Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. is a disturbing and powerful film that forces us to confront some of the uglier aspects of our history, while also asking us to ponder just how far we're willing to go in our search for truth.

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr. is a 1999 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 31 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.5 and a MetaScore of 78.