In Brief TYKE: ELEPHANT OUTLAW (2015) Portland 2015

The sad story of Tyke an elephant brought from the wild, who almost 20 years later decided that she had had enough and attacked her trainer before making a break for it into the streets of Hawaii.

There is little I can say about this film, not because it's bad because the film makes it's case against performing animals very succinctly and very compellingly. This film is destined to do for circus animals what BLACKFISH  has done for killer whales and Sea World.

Using eyewitness testimony and video shot during the incident by people in the crowd and news organizations TYKE relates what happened and why. We watch as the whole sad episode unravels before us. We are not really spared anything and we feel for the elephant and the people who try to stop her.

In a weird way the film is probably 45 minutes too long. My feeling over over length is not due to disliking anything in the film, more it's that any discussion of anything beyond what happened is guilding the lily. Footage of the unhappy elephant and her final destructive rampage speaks volumes more than the words that everyone uses to try and put everything into context.

Be prepared for to get sick of this film as it will no doubt end up playing everywhere and rattling lots of cages- This film is going to be talked about for months to come.