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The End of the Line

Play trailer Poster for The End of the Line Released Jun 19, 2009 1h 22m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Rupert Murray's acclaimed film looking at the consequences of unchecked, unregulated sea fishing across the globe. It is not a film about what might happen, it is a film about what has happened. The collapse of the cod population saw the end of 40,000 jobs, the bluefin tuna is being hunted to extinction, and it takes five kilos of anchovies to produce one fish farmed salmon.

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Critics Consensus

A thought-provoking and insightful documentary about the dangers of commercial fishing.

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Critics Reviews

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Desson Thomson Washington Post If the tone is occasionally off-putting, the message -- at least, the facts about the fish -- is harder to shrug off. Aug 14, 2009 Full Review Wesley Morris Boston Globe This movie wants to cover every base without thinking very deeply about them. So while a lot of ground is covered in 80 brisk minutes, the information presented is only abstractly useful. Rated: 2/4 Jul 23, 2009 Full Review Jason Anderson Toronto Star It's hard not to feel that the vital information in The End of the Line may have been more effectively relayed by Clover's original book or by a movie whose methods were less pedantic and pedestrian. Rated: 2.5/4 Jul 17, 2009 Full Review Narelle Towie Sunday Times (Australia) This is a documentary that will change the way you think about seafood and give you the power of knowledge to make a change. May 17, 2010 Full Review Jason Di Rosso MovieTime, ABC Radio National As the final credits roll you feel like you've been on an emotional rollercoaster -- the same as you might if you'd just watched a moderately successful Hollywood disaster movie. May 14, 2010 Full Review Simon Foster sbs.com.au Revelations about the tonnes of wasted sealife caught and discarded annually and the destructive effects of practices such as bottom-trawling, are head-spinning in their immensity. Rated: 3.5/5 May 14, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Important documentary about the dangerously declining populations of sea life, particularly the major species we like to eat, but others as well, due to industrial fishing out of control. It started with the disappearance of the majority of the cod populations causing cod fishing to be banned in the Atlantic in 1992, as many remember. Unfortunately, we've moved on from cod and are systematically clearing out the rest. We're getting dangerously close to the collapse, and possible extinction, of many species of fish. It's much worse than you probably know. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member I already knew about the problems of over fishing, but this film really gets the point home in shocking fashion. At this rate in 20-30 years the oceans will be practically empty. The real shock for me was the result on the ecosystem of the ocean, and the effect on the oceans water. It's a delicate balance humans are blindly destroying. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent documentary along with food inc and a crude awakening showing how ultimately we are doomed due to our greed/success at hunting/fishing etc Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Everyone should watch this and act. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Learned a couple new things.. Much more of the same.. Positive ending. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member I have a trio of English papers to respond to that all deal with coral reef degradation and overfishing. I believe they all saw this movie, and I can see why they chose to research the topic. The eyes of the dying fish were in my dreams! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cast & Crew

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Rupert Murray

Director

Ted Danson

Narrator

George Duffield

Producer

Christopher Hirdexec

Executive Producer

Claire Lewis

Producer

Jess Search

Executive Producer

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Movie Info

Synopsis Rupert Murray's acclaimed film looking at the consequences of unchecked, unregulated sea fishing across the globe. It is not a film about what might happen, it is a film about what has happened. The collapse of the cod population saw the end of 40,000 jobs, the bluefin tuna is being hunted to extinction, and it takes five kilos of anchovies to produce one fish farmed salmon.
Director
Rupert Murray
Producer
George Duffield, Claire Lewis
Production Co
The Fish Film, Arcane Pictures, Dartmouth Films, Calm Productions
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 19, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 4, 2017
Runtime
1h 22m
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