2nd CHANCE (Ramin Bahrani, USA, 2022) 6
It’s not the most damning indictment of a documentary to say, “I wish Errol Morris had made it.” But I really do wish Errol Morris had made 2nd CHANCE, specifically the Morris of TABLOID and MR DEATH, dealing with eccentrics who enter the public eye and get in over their heads. Richard Davis is a former Marine who made and sold lightweight, flexible body armor during the 1970s. He tells director Ramin Bahrani that, after he got into a gunfight while delivering pizza, his 2nd Chance company built a better mousetrap/bulletproof vest in response. The vests sold well, and numerous cops said it saved their lives from criminals — successes Davis built on in bizarre ways, feeding the outsized and often-cheesy braggadocio that makes the film more...