However I have seen quite a few men and one woman on death row, and according to my instincts no one was as dangerous as he was. I think he was the most dangerous of anyone I ever met.
As far as I know, Herzog never explains why he feels that way, whether in the movie or in interviews. Did he come to this conclusion through his personal interactions with Perry? Well, he spent a sum total of 50 minutes face to face with the man, and a good chunk of that is included in the movie for all of us to see.
Frankly, I just didn't see it. I mean, I think there's a
helluva lot of guys in prison that I'd find as scary or scarier than Perry. And sorry, I just don't buy the idea that you can make that kind of judgement from his eyes. The guy has eight days left to live, and knows it well, and it's impossible to imagine what kind of effect that can have on his physical presence.
My
suspicion as to why Herzog made that statement, is that he was looking to establish his "bona fides" as not
too much of a bleeding heart condemned-killer-coddling liberal. That, along with his on-camera "I don't necessarily like you" admonition to Perry, seems to be more directed to the audience, to try and ensure his anti-death penalty message doesn't get dismissed out of hand because it looks like he sympathizes with a cold-blooded killer.
Badgers? We don't need no stinkin' badgers! But if you could show us something in a nice possum...
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mgbrown66
8 years ago
I think Herzog's "scariest person" point lies in the dichotomy of the two killers.
With Burkett you know the type immediately. You would avoid him in the streets.
Perry is different. While I have encountered many people like him in my life where the world revolved around only them, I have never encountered one that would shoot you in the face while smiling because he wanted your candy.
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