It has the breathless pace of a Bourne movie, but none of the comfort of fiction. This is documentary filmmaking at its most exciting and purposeful.
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07/30/09
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The Cove (2009)
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Reviews Counted:107
Fresh:102
Rotten:5
Average Rating:8/10
Consensus: Though decidedly one-sided, The Cove is an impeccably crafted, suspenseful expose of the covert slaughter of dolphins in Japan.
Theatrical Release:Jul 31, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $619,467
Synopsis: The Cove is an astounding piece of investigative journalism with the heart of an action thriller. Led by Louie Psihoyos, leader of the Ocean Preservation Society, and Richard O'Barry, an... [More]
Director: Louie Psihoyos
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Reviews for The Cove
Top CriticThe Cove offers a lot to think about in terms of the future of fishing, and Psihoyos’ gift for using fiction-feature conventions does make a seemingly unpalatable subject entertaining.
07/30/09
...an ecological thriller cloaked in a gripping documentary that lays bare a world travesty.
07/30/09
The effectiveness of The Cove also comes from its explosive cinematic craft, its surprising good humor and its pure excitement.
07/30/09
Top CriticSelf-aware and just a little too coy
07/30/09
Cove is a stirring call to arms, providing the damning dolphin massacre argument forcefully and creatively. I can't say the film will change the world, but it certainly will make those trips to Sea World more awkward.
07/30/09
The Cove is properly enchanting, horrifying, and rousing, but it comes dangerously close to making the narcissistic case that dolphins deserve to be saved because they're cute and breathe air like we do.
07/29/09
Top CriticCasting a very wide net, this powerful polemic is simultaneously a love letter to a beloved species, an eye-opening primer on worldwide dolphin captivity, a playful paranoid thriller and a work of deep-seated (if sometimes hot-headed) moral outrage.
07/29/09
A documentary that mixes advocacy journalism with the suspenseful thrill of a caper.
07/29/09
Top CriticA strong contender for this year's Man on Wire, this nonfiction potboiler follows filmmaker Louie Psihoyos as he documents the illicit slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan.
07/29/09
It's both an educational work of art and a classic espionage tale.
07/29/09
Documentaries don't get more compelling than The Cove, a film that plays out more like a thriller than environmental advocacy.
07/29/09
A suspenseful, compelling indictment of Japan's deadly dolphin-exploitation industry.
07/29/09
The Cove doesn't always give you the facts you want. Yet its images of blood in the water are worth a thousand preachy words.
07/29/09
Top CriticWhat makes The Cove so powerful is that it's not just an ecological horror show -- it's a real-life thriller that's as suspenseful as anything cooked up by Hollywood.
07/28/09
A baby jumps in the forefront of the slaughter and one can only imagine its horrified panic - this is a dolphin holocaust and it makes one's blood boil at man's capacity for cruelty.
07/27/09
The end of The Cove is as rousing as anything from Hollywood. Manipulative? Sure -- but isn't that fitting?
07/27/09
Top CriticSome ghastly imagery may deter fainthearted moviegoers, but this is a movie that deserves to be seen by the widest possible audience.
07/27/09
One of the most important and heroic pieces of work I've ever seen...the year's most exciting film -- as well as a documentary that can't help but leave you upset and outraged.
07/27/09
Presenting its compelling case with exceptional cinematic craft, The Cove is one of 2009's finest documentaries to date. Be sure to see it.
07/27/09
Latest News for The Cove
November 19, 2009:
Academy Releases Documentary Shortlist 
Awards season is just around the corner, and to prove it, the Academy just released its list of the 15 films still vying for a Documentary Feature Oscar. More...
August 13, 2009:
Green Docs Finding Box Office a Hostile Environment
They have timely topics, great buzz, and meaningful messages -- so why are environmental documentaries like "The Cove" struggling to find theatrical audiences? More...
July 30, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Funny People Is Ambitious But Uneven
This week at the movies, we've got the tears of a clown (Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen), extra-terrestrial visitors upstairs (Aliens in the Attic, starring... More...
June 21, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review
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