A gripping thriller about dolphin trafficking, The Cove is an eco-mentary that's as passionate and persuasive an argument for change as An Inconvenient Truth.
Comment
08/06/09
The Cove (2009)
95
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
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:23-10-2009
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
Reviews for The Cove
The Cove focuses on that Mission: Impossible more than anything else, and the Dirty Dozen style makes it by far the most exciting documentary to come along in years.
08/06/09
There are many documentaries angry about the human destruction of the planetary peace. This is one of the very best -- a certain Oscar nominee.
08/06/09
Top CriticHeart-pounding and fascinating ... fearless documentary filmmaking packed with horrifying moments.
08/06/09
In between the exciting sequences of the team setting up equipment and being nearly captured, The Cove includes interviews with persuasive sea life experts and not-so-convincing local Japanese authorities.
08/06/09
An unabashedly activist, one-sided piece of cinema, but a very effective one that probably won't find wide distribution, though it should.
08/04/09
It won't be a big hit in Japan, but this film is easily one of the best documentaries I've seen in awhile. Okay, it's one-sided, but who really wants to defend the slaughter of dolphins? I think this film will be a major contender in awards season.
08/03/09
Itīs a sloppy, shamelessly pandering film that will work well as an activist tool.
08/03/09
A real life spy thriller led by marine activist Richard O'Brian that is also a genuine and heartfelt plea for the marine environment.
08/03/09
A bold, captivating, riveting and well-edited documentary that finds just the right balance between entertaining the audience and provoking them intellectually as well as emotionally.
08/02/09
The mysteries at play in The Cove begin at the surface and then, like the dolphin pods the film shows zooming around coastal Japan, go way deep.
08/02/09
Overflowing with research and passion, The Cove is an environmental horror story that exceptionally combines brains and beauty.
08/01/09
Two fins up for The Cove, a documentary that whales on evil Japanese fishermen who kill dolphins for lunch meat.
07/31/09
The Cove's story of a quiet village in Japan that specializes in clandestine dolphin slaughter is quite consciously structured as a thriller by director Louie Psihoyos who won an audience award for it at Sundance.
07/31/09
Top CriticThis film is less a work of journalism than a call to activism; movies like The Cove, to a certain extent, preach to the converted.
07/31/09
Damn fine propaganda film!
07/31/09
The film works as a morality tale, a thriller and more.
07/31/09
The film makes its case graphically, to say the least, yet muddies its bloody waters with an excess of artifice and a dearth of facts.
07/31/09
Think 'guerrilla journalism'... The Cove is not polite, and it is not demure....
07/31/09
The movie is a Trojan horse: an exceptionally well-made documentary that unfolds like a spy thriller, complete with bugged hotel rooms, clandestine derring-do and mysterious men in gray flannel suits.
07/31/09
Top CriticLatest 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
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds