Friday 7 May 2010

DVD: Big River Man

Documentary following Slovenian Martin Strel's attempt to swim
the length of the Amazon.

All the ingredients of a fantastic film are here: Unlikely Hero, insurmountable odds, exotic location, danger and suspense.

What we get is a depressing diary of a man attempting to justify his hunger for fame by disguising it with lofty causes (saving the Rainforest etc.) while driving himself to the very brink of despair. It aint pretty and it certainly aint entertaining.

Strel's achievements are amazing and this could have been so much better if it hadn't been made by Strel's son Borut, yes Borut. The cheesy music and cheap production reminded me a lot of the other Borat and not in a good way.

High points include Strel's constant drinking and him swimming casually past a floating dead body but there's nothing here that couldn't have been covered better by a 30min tv documentary.

Ric's Rating: 28%

5 comments:

  1. thanks for the warning, Ricky :O

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  2. Doesn't sound like a winner to me, either.

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  3. Hi Guys,

    I so wanted to like this one but I suppose they can't all be winners.

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  4. Wow, it's too bad they didn't go a different direction with this film. It sounds like it had some promise. Shame, really.

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  5. Maybe you should give it a try Tom. It just didn't live up to my expectations of it.

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Let me know what you think. I value all comments and fully intend to reply.