Faces of Death
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Faces of Death II - (1981)
It is no surprise that an infamous film would spawn a sequel and unlike so many other series the follow-up to Faces of Death is a better film. The movie begins with our favorite pseudo-Doctor explaining how he felt he needed to explore further the mysteries of death This despite his promise in the first film that all had been covered. The second FOD movie differs considerably from the first in that this movie includes more actual death footage than the first and fewer stage events. The film opens with funerary rituals from around the world presenting western methods of embalming contrasting it to rituals in India were bodies are openly displayed as mourners cleanse themselves as they cremate the body. The film then shifts to the dangers of snowy peaks as dozens are killed after ignoring warnings to stay away from mountain roads due to the threat of avalanches. The movie then turns toward a focus of death in sports. Boxing is presented to show the skill and training needed to win and the fame that could follow. A young bantamweight boxer goes the distance, but his injuries would prove fatal. Daredevil Kenny Powers is featured as well when he attempted to jump the St Lawrence river in a rocket powered car only to sustain significant injuries. We then view war atrocities from the fighting in Vietnam and the Middle East, most often innocent civilians pay the price for being in the way of the fighting. Animals are shown slaughtered for food, fur or research with primates screaming from the experiments. The film also has footage of whale and dolphins hunts that are very graphic and unsettling to most viewers. The closing segment has an extended scene of a trial and execution carried out in Liberia of a former leader who is now judged to be a criminal. Dr. Gross offers commentary from time to time, but at least he doesn't fool us into thinking this is real when it isn't and with its genuine footage, it is more truthful than any other FOD film.
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