Movie Review: “The Cove”

Seen on: June 23, 2009

The players: Director: Louie Psihoyos, Writer: Mark Monroe, Cast: Richard O'Barry, Louie Psihoyos

Facts of interest: More than 23,000 dolphins are slaughtered in Japan each year. Those that are sold can each bring in up to $150,000.

The plot: The film tries to expose the mass killings of dolphins in Japan and the health risks from selling the meat for human consumption.

Our thoughts: Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove” is undoubtedly the most compelling piece of big-screen investigative journalism I’ve seen so far. It’s an experience as shocking as it is suspenseful, and it successfully engrossed me for its full 90 minutes. If there’s one film you absolutely have to see when it hits theaters this summer, it’s this one.

“The Cove” brings to light the terrifying secret buried in the Japanese town of Taijii, home to one of the world’s biggest slaughter of dolphins. Led by famous dolphin trainer Richard O’Barry, a group of courageous activists embark on a dangerous mission to sneak into the heavily guarded cove and uncover the truth behind the horrible massacre.

Both intriguing and enlightening at the same time, Psihoyos’ “The Cove” is a daring, well-structured film that examines the dark sides of a multibillion-dollar industry that involves the capture and even killing of thousands of dolphins each year. Those that survive eventually end up in marine parks such as Seaworld, but those not making the cut quickly end up at a fish market.

As O’Barry and co. tell their viewers, the systematic slaughter of dolphins is not only a tragedy, but it also comes with its own health risk. Dolphin meat contains alarmingly high levels of mercury, and selling it for consumption can provoke irreversible consequences. Shockingly, most people in Japan have no clue what’s really going on in Taijii.

Documenting the dolphin massacres has long been impossible because the hidden cove where all the bloody action goes down is a heavily guarded area, but it’s for that reason that Psihoyos and his team of activists work out a detailed mission to infiltrate the bay and capture the cruel happenings with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment.

As distressing as the final result is, watching this team carry out their plan is fascinating. Most of it really plays out like a suspenseful thriller, with the crew using extra care not to be caught by local police, which is always hot on their tails. Psihoyos opens the film by letting audience know he tried to make “The Cove” legally; an indication that what is to follow involves many risks.

Besides this impressive footage (most of which was shot at night), “The Cove” includes several interesting interviews educating audiences about dolphins and how obvious it is they don’t belong in all these dolphinariums. The most emotional comments come from Richard O’Barry, famous for his work with dolphins in “Flipper.”

O’Barry has been trying his best to free captured dolphins and expose the Taijii slaughters for many years, but he also openly admits his work in the past certainly contributed to the dolphin mania that is partly to blame for what is happening to these whales today. What O’Barry has to say about this subject is illuminating, and in my opinion reason enough not to miss “The Cove.”

Freaky quote: "We tried to do the story legally." – Louie Psihoyos

The final word: Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, “The Cove” is an important film that does a fabulous job at exposing a scandalous process that will clearly not cease as long as the world is not aware of it. Some of the movie’s footage is tough to digest, but the issue and the filmmakers’ message is one no one should ignore.

Article by Franck Tabouring