At the Death House Door (2008)
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100% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
77% of users liked it
(316 ratings)
The one question virtually unanswerable by proponents of the death penalty scarcely needs to be repeated: But what of the situations where an innocent man is accidentally shuttled off to execution? Taking this as a cue, opponents of capital punishment believe that any margin of error, no matter how… More The one question virtually unanswerable by proponents of the death penalty scarcely needs to be repeated: But what of the situations where an innocent man is accidentally shuttled off to execution? Taking this as a cue, opponents of capital punishment believe that any margin of error, no matter how small, makes the entire enterprise suspect. One person who shares such a conviction is Carroll Pickett, minister to death row inmates at a penitentiary in Texas; for 15 years, Pickett had no reservations about presiding over executions, until that fateful day when his path crossed with that of a Hispanic man named Carlos de Luna, unjustly accused of homicide. Shortly before this - his 96th official execution - was to occur, Pickett tape recorded much of his last day with de Luna. Listening to it, he became unshakably convinced of the man's innocence, and used his inner conviction as an impetus to team up with crime reporters from the Chicago Tribune and delve into the facts surrounding De Luna's highly questionable arraignment. With their documentary At the Death House Door, James and Gilbert both tell Pickett's heart-rending story and use it as a springboard into broader penetrative issues about capital punishment. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Directed By
- Peter Gilbert, Steve James
- Genres
- Documentary, Special Interest
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 2008 Wide
- Studio
- Independent Film Channel (IFC)
Critic Reviews
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Loren King, Chicago Tribune
At the Death House Door is a sobering account of Pickett's gradual evolution from pro-death penalty minister to a man struggling to reconcile his complicated role in those deaths.
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Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
The directors of Hoop Dreams and Stevie turn their documentary lens on capital punishment through the experiences of Rev. Carroll Pickett, the chaplain of Texas' Huntsville Prison, where he ministered to 95 condemned inmates in their final hours.
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John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter
an involving film with fresh perspectives that should ensure appeal on the activist and festival circuits.
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Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
makes great sense from a journalist's perspective.
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John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
brings to light the personal struggles of a dedicated man who has been facing life and death issues on the front lines
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