Grizzly Man

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Grizzly Man

R

2005

1h 43m

Documentary

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

147 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Pieced together from Timothy Treadwell's actual video footage, Werner Herzog's remarkable documentary examines the calling that drove Treadwell to live among a tribe of wild grizzly bears on an Alaskan reserve. A devoted conservationist with a passion for adventure, Timothy believed he had bridged the gap between human and beast. When one of the bears he loved and protected tragically turns on him, the footage he shot serves as a window into our understanding of nature and its grim realities.

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Critics Consensus

Whatever opinion you come to have of the obsessive Treadwell, Herzog has once again found a fascinating subject.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

02/22/2025

4.5/5

Timothy Treadwell is the living embodiment of Herzog's ecstatic truth.

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Heather Havrilesky

Salon.com

07/16/2019

Of course, the legendary filmmaker can't resist inserting his own outsize ego into the story, but somehow this documentary has room for two larger-than-life characters.

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Zadie Smith

Daily Telegraph (UK)

01/16/2018

Herzog has his documentary in hand, explaining that what we have here "iz on astone-ishing story of beauty and depth". He's not wrong.

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Carson Timar

ClapperCast

Dec 17

Herzog crafts one of the greatest documentaries ever made. Offering a complex look at a complex man, the film allows the audience the autonomy to think and draw their own conclusions as it presents the evidence of what happened and searches for answers.

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Raquel Stecher

Quelle Movies

Nov 1

While Treadwell’s violent death looms over the film, Herzog expertly engages the audience in what seems like a film within a film, one that Treadwell was still making when his subject became his killer.

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Christopher Campbell

Nonfics (Substack)

Aug 6

Werner Herzog’s 2005 feature seems to include but also scrutinize everything that made documentaries so successful at the time (and maybe predated some trends as well).

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Vixo S

@vixo_six Jul 6

Grizzly Man is a beautiful and delicate documentary because it does not reduce Timothy Treadwell to a simple idea. Werner Herzog observes him with respect, but also with distance, showing a man who found in the bears an emotional refuge, a mission and perhaps a way to escape his own reality. The film recognizes the sincerity of his love for animals, while also revealing the risks of confusing healing with isolation. Its greatest power comes from the connection between Treadwell and Herzog, two perspectives that never met in life but speak to each other through the footage. It is a moving film about nature, loneliness, limits and the difference between loving something and truly understanding it.

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T F

@RT18955188 May 31

This real look at a human zealot that believes they somehow have become enough of the wildlife itself that they can begin to identify with the massive carnivores of the north. Somehow, wildlife will always flip the script back to nature as intended as it did here. FAFO

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After C.

@A.T.C Apr 15

Wow! This was up close and personal, he really loved cared for the bears. This movie captured his courage and dedication and respect for the bears.

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David R

@DavidRankin Mar 1

I really enjoyed this. Sad but real. Amazing ability to fit in with the bears. Seems like a self proclaimed prophecy. Nature has a way.

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Tom F

@RT55173143 Feb 7

I totally slept on this until noticing it in NYT’s list of best movies of the century. Timothy Treadwell is a bit of a jerk but a fascinating documentary subject. Werner Herzog’s narration sounds like self parody but is totally absorbing.

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Mike W

@MikeW269 Jan 18

The Grizzly Man was obsessed IMO. The movie about his obsession which leads to he and his girlfriend being eaten is far too long and boring. He did manage to stay safe for years while behaving like a Touron.

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Werner Herzog

Director

Werner Herzog

Narrator

Jewel Palovak

Actor

Warren Queeney

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Carol Dexter

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Val Dexter

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Synopsis

Pieced together from Timothy Treadwell's actual video footage, Werner Herzog's remarkable documentary examines the calling that drove Treadwell to live among a tribe of wild grizzly bears on an Alaskan reserve. A devoted conservationist with a passion for adventure, Timothy believed he had bridged the gap between human and beast. When one of the bears he loved and protected tragically turns on him, the footage he shot serves as a window into our understanding of nature and its grim realities.

Director: Werner Herzog
Producer: Erik Nelson
Screenwriter: Werner Herzog
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Lions Gate Entertainment, Discovery Docs, Real Big Production
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 12, 2005, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $3.2M
Runtime: 1h 43m