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CHAOS: THE MANSON MURDERS
Director: Errol Morris MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:35 Release Date: 3/7/25 (Netflix) |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | March 7, 2025 Director Errol Morris approaches the subject of CHAOS: The Manson Murders with some skepticism. He's right to do so, because even the man behind the theory at the core of this examination of the murders orchestrated by Charles Manson doesn't seem too certain of his own ideas. Where, however, does that leave this documentary? It rests somewhere between known fact, mostly to do with the basics of Manson's cult-like "family" and the grisly details of the murders themselves, and a slew of hypotheticals. Some of those hypothetical notions are intriguing, since they get at the longstanding paranoia about the involvement of intelligence agencies and police services in major events, as well as our almost instinctual tendency to attempt to find some larger meaning in previously incomprehensible acts. It's not enough for Tom O'Neil, who wrote the book (with Dan Piepenbring) upon which Morris' documentary is based, that Manson was some broadly charismatic figure who convinced several people to brutally murder others for him. No, there must be some other explanation for the Manson killings, because, in his mind, the generally accepted explanation is just too simple for crimes so heinous and that changed many people's perspectives of humanity and psychology. In O'Neil's mind, it seems, an event this consequential must have an explanation that at least matches its severity and its impact on society. Initially, the movie seems to entertain and even accept O'Neil's vague theories as a possibility. To clarify a bit, the author had been assigned to write a magazine article about the lasting impact of the Manson murders in the ensuing decades, but instead, he kept digging. Things didn't quite add up for O'Neil. How could Manson, an ex-convict with musical ambitions and not much else of note about him apart from his extensive criminal record, become so skilled in persuasion or brainwashing techniques that he could make a number of people abandon their moral codes and commit murder for him? How was a man on parole in Los Angeles successfully move to San Francisco and have free rein there, despite the change of location being a violation of the terms of his parole? Isn't it odd that Manson and the earliest members of his "family" kept returning to a free clinic at the center of hippie culture in San Francisco, especially since that place was also studying the effects of LSD and other drugs? The big part of O'Neil's theory, which even he admits he has no direct evidence to prove, is that Manson was somehow tied up, likely unwittingly, in a series of domestic programs overseen by the CIA and the FBI. Those include MK-ULTRA, which attempted to use mind-altering drugs in a kind of brainwashing, and the eponymous Operation CHAOS, which was investigating mostly left-wing movements within the United States and ran alongside COINTELPRO, the FBI's equivalent efforts to undermine assorted organizations and individuals. The odd thing, of course, is that O'Neil's theories make a certain kind of sense. Well, they do, as long as one is willing to make the various leaps of logic required to start at a free clinic in a hippie district and somehow land at Manson's "family" murdering Sharon Tate as a way to scare Hollywood celebrities from supporting the civil rights movement. Putting O'Neil's conspiracy in such plain terms, it's a stretch, to say the least. Here's where Morris steps into the picture, although it takes a while for the filmmaker, known for his ability to interrogate and pick apart a subject with much patience and skill, to actually intervene. He does question O'Neil on the assorted gaps and logical jumps and basic absurdities of his theories, and to the author's credit, he acknowledges all of Morris' points. In his previous works, Morris has taken on corrupt officials, ethically compromised politicians, and others of questionable moral standing, as well as interviewing some people he actually likes and admires. It's odd to watch O'Neil, well, fold under the most minimal of pressure from Morris, because the author knows he can't prove most of what he puts forward here. It's appreciated, obviously, but the result doesn't exactly make for a compelling interview or, for that matter, depiction of a possible conspiracy. Instead, Morris is then left to interview others, including Stephen Kay, who was one of the prosecutors at the trial, and Bobby Beausoleil, a Manson "family" member in prison for a murder that occurred before the more infamous ones. While the latter provides an even simpler explanation for a motive behind the murders, Kay mostly takes us through a detailed account of the prosecution's case, based on all of the evidence and testimony that actually led to those convictions. A significant portion of the documentary is devoted to a straightforward timeline of events—from the "family" moving to that old movie ranch in L.A., to Manson's associations with people in the music industry, to the murders themselves. There's nothing new here, after decades of countless people analyzing these facts, but the account is concisely and clearly presented. Ultimately, CHAOS: The Manson Murders doesn't make much of a case for anything beyond the established facts and theories about the murders and their perpetrators. With his star subject at a loss to back up most of what he puts forward, the movie falls back on what we already know and some necessary doubt about looking for much more. Copyright © 2025 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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