FOR THIS CONFUSED CRUSADER, BEARS WERE LIFE AND DEATH.

Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic

TIMOTHY TREADWELL wanted to be a bear. Bears saved his life, say those who knew him. And indeed, as we see in Werner Herzog's staggering new documentary, ``Grizzly Man,'' Treadwell's self-proclaimed role as keeper and defender of Alaska's grizzly bears was the last stop of a life of re-invention.

Treadwell spent 13 Alaskan summers with these bears, connecting so deeply with the animals that it became a religious experience for him. The line between man and nature disappeared. Treadwell named the bears (that he chose names like ``Mr. Chocolate'' reflected how he viewed the enormous animals as buddies instead of creatures to be seriously respected), filmed them at close range and sternly rebuked them if they so much as growled at him.

``Don't do that,'' he told one of massive grizzly, after the animal expressed annoyance with him. ``I love you.''

Treadwell's ``mission'' took on the weight of massive irony when, in October 2003, one bear decided he had enough and ate Treadwell and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard.

``Grizzly Man'' is the story of how Treadwell arrived at that moment in time. But it's so much more. It's a nature movie that concentrates as much on humans as it does the wild. And it's Herzog, the visionary director, coming to see Treadwell as a compatriot, a fellow filmmaker adept at ``capturing the inescapable magic of cinema'' as well as a conflicted man whose sentimentalized view of nature couldn't be more different than his own.

Treadwell chronicled the last five years of his life with the grizzlies on film. Herzog had access to more than 100 hours of footage, much of it truly magical, much of it bizarre and frightening. Treadwell, with his chirpy voice and Prince Valiant haircut, was a one-of-a-kind naturalist, a first-rate drama king possessing an unflinchingly honest willingness to grapple with his inner demons. The man was sunshine and darkness, a turbulent force of nature that finally found a niche in the Alaskan wilderness.

It's not surprising that Herzog would be attracted to this man who often teetered on the brink of madness. Herzog's heroes have always been such men. Much of the fascinating wonder of ``Grizzly Man'' comes as Herzog attempts to understand Treadwell, a process that raises more questions than it answers.

Herzog, who eloquently narrates the movie, tells us that he sees the natural world as a place of chaos, murder and disharmony. If you've seen his movies - ``Aguirre, The Wrath of God,'' ``Fitzcaraldo'' among them - you know this. Treadwell, meanwhile, saw harmony in the wild, the bears and foxes as friends and fellow travelers.

That this view cost him his life is, for some, justice served. ``He crossed a boundary,'' says one naturalist. ``And once you cross it, you pay the price.'' Herzog reserves judgment. He may not agree with Treadwell, but he never loses sight of the man's humanity, his struggle with what it means to be alive. And that's what makes ``Grizzly Man'' a haunting work of genius.

Glenn Whipp, [phone]

glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com

GRIZZLY MAN - Four stars

(R: language)

Director: Werner Herzog.

Running time: 1 hr. 43 min.

Playing: Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena; Laemmle's Royal in West Los Angeles; Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.

In a nutshell: Haunting nature movie about the nature of man.

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Timothy Treadwell, who spent 13 summers in the Alaskan wilderness living with grizzly bears until meeting a violent end, is the subject of Werner Herzog's ``Grizzly Man.''