I first encountered the story of Timothy Treadwell (amateur bear researcher killed by hungry grizzlies in the wilderness) in Reader’s Digest and even then wondered why it had not been made into a documentary. Treadwell’s odd story is perfectly suited to Werner Herzog’s favorite themes: the raw power of nature, the awful determination of man, and the wisdom often obscured by both. Treadwell is yet another in a litany of characters determined to push the limits of unmovable forces that thankfully inspire Herzog to keep picking up the camera. There is extant audio footage of the attack that brutally claimed both Treadwell’s life and that of his girlfriend. Fortunately, Herzog chose not to let us hear it, his mere recounting of its content is pointed enough and evidence that he doesn’t need to rely on shock value to get his films seen. Historically, Herzog has been quite fond of speaking, but one of his finer moments happens towards the end of Grizzly Man when he claims: “I believe the common character of the universe is not harmony, but hostility, chaos and murder.” Herein may lay a significant key to the rest of his work.