KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Mischa Redfern I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Sienna-Rose Mclaughlin The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

ittibambagua This documentary is a fascinating exercise in selection. It makes no attempt to tell multiple points of view, but is instead solely made to promote one contention - that ownership of unusual animals is necessarily bad.I have kept venomous snakes and am proud of my high standards and protocols in keeping these creatures, and the fact that I have never had a single dangerous incident, ever. I am also proud of the fact that I constantly strive to keep these animals to the highest standards. I am always thinking about how I can improve their welfare and health.Some of the species I keep are in grave danger in the wild. I am proud of the fact that private keepers like me represent what may be a last chance for the survival of these species. I know zoos well and know many zookeepers... and zoos on their own do not have the resources to ensure the survival of the huge number of animal species at risk. Incidentally, none of my animals were taken from the wild - all are the result of many generations of breeding in captivity.This documentary, however, is out to make a political case against the private keeping of unusual animals. It centres around two individuals: the first is Tim Harrison, who is presented as a noble and heroic enforcement officer. I would have preferred a film in which Tim's views and politics were compared with that of his far more knowledgeable and experienced brother, Jim, from the Kentucky Reptile Zoo.The other individual is Terry Brumfield, an invalid man who has a child-like love of his lions and who is completely out of his depth in looking after them. While this is shocking, Terry does not represent the vast majority of animal keepers. Most keepers I know are highly experienced and can discuss animal husbandry, health, behavior, toxicology, genetics, classification and biology (to name just a few things) in great detail. I have never met anyone like Terry Brumfield; clearly he should not have been keeping big cats and there was a need to bring this to an end in his case. Of all the keepers out there, Michael Webber (the director) chose Terry Brumfield as the film's representative keeper. Dishonest and grossly unfair.While there is a danger of people like Terry owning such animals, this film puts a case for the banning of all unusual creatures, for everyone and everywhere.The depiction of a reptile show is particularly laughable. Tim Harrison hams it up for the cameras and engages in some extremely unsafe practices himself with a venomous snake. Webber inserts some ominous music to try and create a sinister feel to the event. Please be aware of the film-maker's tricks and selective choices in the way he presents scenes like this in the film!This documentary was made with the support of a massive lobbyist organisation - The Humane Society US, the leader of which has some very radical ideas which go well beyond snakes and lions, and which include the end of all animal pet ownership. This organisation also has objectives which are in direct opposition to conservation aims - for example, the banning of the private keeping of endangered animals.This film is more like a high school student English essay in which the object is to argue one side of an issue to the hilt. It might have gained a bare pass for a low achieving student in that context, but is entirely unworthy of praise or to be the centre of public discussion on an issue which has many complexities - which are never covered in the film.

bball_cay Wow. As an animal rights enthusiast, this film was incredibly sad to watch. The viewer cannot help but side with Tim Harrison, with his compassionate and also passionate drive to help animals under all circumstances. I don't know how he was even able to restrain himself every time he tried to hold a conversation with Terry. Terry was presented in this movie as being very ignorant and selfish, and I don't doubt that this is how he was outside of filming towards the exotic animals he called his "pets". Him and thousands of other exotic pet owners are not even giving a thought to how these wild animals feel as "pets", something easily controlled and put in horrible circumstances. This, along with the public safety concerns surrounding the majority of large and/or poisonous animals, is why it is crucial that the ownership of exotic animals needs to be banned in North America. Especially considering many of these animals are put in stressful situations and are endangered. This movie really gives the viewer something to think about.

asc85 As someone in America who frequently watches Animal Planet and the National Geographic channel with my wife, this is not a subject that I was unfamiliar with. And I must say it was a very well done story. The fact that it takes place primarily in the Dayton, OH area was an excellent choice, because if stuff like this happens so frequently in a non-major market like Dayton (no offense to Dayton intended), this kind of thing must truly be happening all over the United States.Before I saw this film I thought it would show multiple stories of people having exotic animals. It really focuses on just one story, about a guy with two (then six) lions, and the story is such an interesting one that I was glad that's what they did. You do see news clips about other exotic animal attacks, some shows/supermarkets where exotic animals are sold (all legal, by the way), and some wacky people from Nevada (one couple, and one "professor") who defend ownership of exotic animals. As they say in the movie, this is a disaster waiting to happen

lori-19-277396 I for one will back Tim Harrison 150% on his claims in this film. Having been the person answering the phone for more than five years at a non-profit exotic animal sanctuary whose mission is to provide permanent 'end of life' care to captive-raised, non-domestic animals like those depicted in the film, I know what he says to be true! We, too, field more than 100 requests each year to 'adopt', or graciously accept private owners' "donations" (such a grand term for dumping their burdens on us) of their grown-up big cats, monkeys, iguanas, pythons, giant tortoises, bears, and other non-domestic 'pets'. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE for having living beings caged in this way? There is no valid reason other than to satisfy human ego, curiosity, and for profit. Period. If the general public doesn't know that's the case, then this film is a great starting point to become informed! It is not a horror-fest, so don't be afraid!! It is not purely a "message movie", either. This film is a piece of excellence in filmmaking, an extraordinary story-telling feat, and one every single American should see.