Werner Herzog's film of Reinhold Messner's attempt to climb two 8000+ meter twin peaks in succession is an intriguing look at what actually goes into a climb and the mindset of those who climb. Werner Herzog follows as Messner picks his porters and then heads to the mountains, all the while peppering his subject with questions about why and how and what his thoughts are. It's a really good look at one of the best in the sport and manages to get into Messner's head in away most documentaries never do. There is something about watching Messner talk about the tragedies and his instructions about what to do if tragedy strikes that seems at times to be way too personal. It's very clear that Messner knows it's all foolhardy but he still does it. A word of warning, this is not about the actual climb as such. Herzog never leaves base camp and what we of the climb is limited to the shots taken from camp or to the brief footage taken by the climbers to document their achievement. This is a film about the people climbing and not the climb. (the film also starts a bit slow but picks up after about ten minutes). Recommended