Fast, Cheap & Out of Control

I pulled a lot of my thoughts from my discussion board response because this is one of those documentaries that lands more on an emotional and stylistic level than a factual one.

Errol Morris takes what could’ve been a straightforward documentary about four unrelated men: a lion tamer, a robotics engineer, a topiary gardener, and a mole‑rat specialist and turns it into something dreamlike. What struck me most was the editing. The rapid cross‑cutting creates this strange harmony and chaos at the same time. Their professions seem disconnected, but through the way Morris weaves their stories, shared themes start emerging: obsession, aging, control, and the fear of becoming irrelevant.

The surreal inserts of slow‑motion circus shots, black‑and‑white newsreel‑style footage, and other fragments of visual experimentation make the whole film feel like a memory slipping away. Paired with George Mendonça talking about his dying topiary garden or Dave Hoover reflecting on the fading art of lion taming, it adds a quiet, lingering sense of loss.

Caleb Sampson’s score deserves a mention too. The looping, hypnotic music turns the film into more of a meditation than a traditional documentary. I found myself falling into the rhythm of their obsessions, which made their dedication feel both impressive and a little heartbreaking.

What I appreciate most is that Morris isn’t pushing a political argument. Instead, he invites you to reflect on what drives people to devote their lives to something the world may no longer value. It made me appreciate these strange pockets of human expertise and how fragile they really are.

I pulled a lot of my thoughts from my discussion board response because this is one of those documentaries that lands more on an emotional and stylistic level than a factual one.

Errol Morris takes what could’ve been a straightforward documentary about four unrelated men: a lion tamer, a robotics engineer, a topiary gardener, and a mole‑rat specialist and turns it into something dreamlike. What struck me most was the editing. The rapid cross‑cutting creates this strange harmony and chaos at the same time. Their professions seem disconnected, but through the way Morris weaves their stories, shared themes start emerging: obsession, aging, control, and the fear of becoming irrelevant.

The surreal inserts of slow‑motion circus shots, black‑and‑white newsreel‑style footage, and other fragments of visual experimentation make the whole film feel like a memory slipping away. Paired with George Mendonça talking about his dying topiary garden or Dave Hoover reflecting on the fading art of lion taming, it adds a quiet, lingering sense of loss.

Caleb Sampson’s score deserves a mention too. The looping, hypnotic music turns the film into more of a meditation than a traditional documentary. I found myself falling into the rhythm of their obsessions, which made their dedication feel both impressive and a little heartbreaking.

What I appreciate most is that Morris isn’t pushing a political argument. Instead, he invites you to reflect on what drives people to devote their lives to something the world may no longer value. It made me appreciate these strange pockets of human expertise and how fragile they really are.

In this doco from Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line) we explore the lives of four men from unique vocations - an animal trainer, a topiary gardner, a robotic scientist and a mole-rat expert.

While there is a level of charm listening to experts at the top of their game with such passion for their respective fields...it also comes across as a more than a little dull. It lacks that crucial element of 'insider baseball', that feeling (albeit superficial) that through watching we have now gained our own expertise.

Bob Richardson's cinematography elevates proceedings, putting to work his love of mixed formats (which where so effective in NBK and Kill Bill), providing stunning visuals of circus life in B&W and vivid colour, creepy little mole rats doing their thing in dark tunnels, early stage robotics that are clearly going to gain sentience, take over the world and kill us all and some absolutely beautiful night time imagery of a topiary garden blanketed in rain.

The title itself is a misnomer, evocating a sense of carny shucksterism which isn't really evident in our subjects - they are eccentric yes, but far from the rougish scoundrels that the title implies, and as such...far less interesting.

154/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

In this doco from Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line) we explore the lives of four men from unique vocations - an animal trainer, a topiary gardner, a robotic scientist and a mole-rat expert.

While there is a level of charm listening to experts at the top of their game with such passion for their respective fields...it also comes across as a more than a little dull. It lacks that crucial element of 'insider baseball', that feeling (albeit superficial) that through watching we have now gained our own expertise.

Bob Richardson's cinematography elevates proceedings, putting to work his love of mixed formats (which where so effective in NBK and Kill Bill), providing stunning visuals of circus life in B&W and vivid colour, creepy little mole rats doing their thing in dark tunnels, early stage robotics that are clearly going to gain sentience, take over the world and kill us all and some absolutely beautiful night time imagery of a topiary garden blanketed in rain.

The title itself is a misnomer, evocating a sense of carny shucksterism which isn't really evident in our subjects - they are eccentric yes, but far from the rougish scoundrels that the title implies, and as such...far less interesting.

154/1001 - 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die