The Man Who Was Death story
Niles Talbot, a prison executioner, is laid off from his job when the local legislature abolishes the death penalty. From there, he becomes a vigilante, administering his own style of justice to acquitted murder suspects. Also starring Gerrit Graham and Roy Brocksmith. Directed by: Walter Hill. Story by: Robert Reneau & Walter Hill.
17 total · 1 choice · 8 major · 8 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| capital punishment | choice | The death penalty was abolished and subsequently reinstated. The chair being used disproportionately against minorities, the viewer is told. The condemneds' reactions before their respective executions were featured and discussed, the cruelty but also justice therein implied. |
| facing one's own execution | major | The story opened with Charley Ledbetter being walked to the electric chair, and culminated with his own executioner, Niles Talbot, sharing in the same fate. |
| getting fired from one's job | major | Niles didn't take it very well when he got caned from his job as prison executioner after 12 years of enthusiastic service. Instead of finding a new line of work, he became a vigilante and went about executing acquitted murder suspects. |
| murder | major | There was murder left, right and center: 1) Most importantly, the laid off prison executioner Niles electrocuted three people to death and got caught red handed trying to do it to a fourth; 2) Ledbetter was executed for having committed a double murder; 3) the biker gang member Jimmy Flood was acquitted of murder on a minor technicality; 4) circumstances suggested that Theodore Carne killed his wife. |
| poetic justice | major | The laid off prison executioner Niles Talbot was himself executed in the end. |
| sadism | major | The viewer is left with the impression that the laid off prison executioner Niles was merely a sadist who enjoyed seeing the fear in people's eyes before electrocuting them. For example, the prison executioner Niles gave Ledbetter's already dead body an extra, and wholly unnecessary, charge of electricity for the fun of it. |
| serial murder | major | As a vigilante, Niles Talbot murdered two people by electrocution and was caught red-handed as he tried to murder a third. |
| the desire for justice | major | Niles Talbot became a vigilante, supposedly because he pined to bring justice to the wicked. The viewer is, however, left with the impression that he was merely a sadist who enjoyed seeing the fear in people's eyes before electrocuting them. Niles Talbot saw it as his purpose in life to bring justice to the world by executing the wicked, first as determined by the state, and later by his own judgement. |
| vigilante justice | major | The laid off prison executioner Niles Talbot took it upon himself to execute acquitted murder suspects. |
| cracking under pressure | minor | Charley lost his composure on his walk to the electric chair, as did Niles later. |