Tiger King is a documentary that explores the world of the rivalry between the big cat breeding business, and Carole Baskins who is anti-cat breeding, and also owns cats. The whole series is 8 episodes including an additional episode that got realized later. This documentary is one of the most fascinating documentaries I have ever seen. The story it tells is so unique, and strange that I couldn’t stop watching it.
The people involved in the big cat business that this documentary explores all have really distinct and bizarre personalities. Of all the bizarre weird personalities the most unique is the main character of the documentary Joe Exoctic. Joe Exotic is what the documentary focuses on the most. He is married to two guys at the same time, loves guns and runs a big cat park where people can come and pet cats. Along with the big picture rivalry, the documentary really follows him through his rise, and fall in the big cat industry.
The personalities aren’t just limited to the central person Joe Exotic. The documentary also interviews his rival big cat owner Carole Baskins who allegedly killed her ex-husband and several other people such as Joey Finely who was one of Joe Exotics, Jeff Lowe who is one of Joey’s business partners, and many more people.
Now, most of these people on screen are not good people, but what makes it really entertaining is the dynamic between them. You watch as the relationships with these people expand throughout years, and it truly does make for some good television.
Tiger King also does a great job of keeping the watcher hooked. It seems like every episode of the show ends off with a cliff hanger that makes you want to go to the next episode. After every episode, it feels like what each character is doing is escalating, and escalating. This definitely makes for some interesting television because you are watching a bad situation unfold into a worse one.
Another thing Tiger King does well is that it allows the audience to develop an opinion of everyone. Whether you agree with on side of the big cat dispute or think both sides the documentary lets you decide who to root for.
The documentary also tells its story really well. You never feel like you are being overloaded with information or that things are going to quickly. It’s really easy to pinpoint whats happen in each individual episode. This makes the show a lot more digestible, and easier to watch.
Overall, Tiger King tells a powerful, unique story that really leaves an impact on you. It’s one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, and I definitely recommend it. I’m giving it a 10/10.