Review of Shepherds and Butchers

This movie is scripted from the novel of the same title. The novel is a propaganda vehicle aimed at making capital punishment look at outrageous and primitive as possible in which it has a great deal of success. The depictions of group hangings are graphic, explicit and repulsive in the extreme. There should be a content advisory for people who might have a less than sturdy psychological tolerance of brutal cinematography. At the least one should keep in mind that novels are works of fiction. That will help. The story line is that assisting in such brutal mass executions can cause an otherwise person to become mentally ill to the point of being dangerous to others. This is used as a defense in the trial of a prison warder who has committed a violent crime shortly after one such execution. The acting is very good, dialogue holds up pretty well and the suspense over how the trial will turn out is well effected. Overall a watchable movie - if the you have the stomach for it.