Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Wildlife activists and investigators put their lives on the line to battle the illegal African ivory trade, in this suspenseful on-the-ground documentary.
The Ivory Game is a visually striking documentary that brings urgency and tension to the ivory poaching crisis, with on-the-ground footage that rivals thriller filmmaking. The cinematography is genuinely exceptional, capturing both the grandeur of African wildlife and the gritty underworld of illegal trade. The narrative structure keeps tension high, though the subject matter — wildlife trafficking activism — covers well-trodden documentary ground. The 'acting' or rather subject performance is naturalistic but uneven, with some investigators more compelling on camera than others. The ending offers cautious hope but stops short of a satisfying resolution, reflecting reality more than dramatic closure.