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The Ivory Game

The Ivory Game

The hunt for the hunter begins

2016112 minMidcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Directors
Kief Davidson, Richard Ladkani

Wildlife activists and investigators put their lives on the line to battle the illegal African ivory trade, in this suspenseful on-the-ground documentary.

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Ivory Game?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Ivory Game streaming on Netflix.

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Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about The Ivory Game?

The Ivory Game earns 6 badges, led by Top 5% of films and Universally Loved.

  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office

Reception

Is The Ivory Game worth watching?

The Ivory Game's Midcredits score is the 97th percentile of all films, from 5.5K ratings across 4 sources. 88% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

97th percentile

Better received than 97% of films

93rd percentile among Documentary97th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)93rd
Approval (how many liked it)97th

77 /100

93rd percentile of all films

81st percentile among Documentary93rd percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

88% liked it

97th percentile of all films

94th percentile among Documentary97th percentile among 2010s
88% rated it 7–1012% rated it 1–6

Critics 77% · Audience 76%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 7 wins / 6 noms overall

Reach

How many have seen it

60th percentile

5.5K ratings across platforms

84th percentile among Documentary63rd percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 24% in 30 days

Box office

Worldwide gross$105

1st percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film exposes the brutal reality of the ivory trade and the people fighting it.

Fans praised

  • undercover investigation exposes the ivory trade network
  • urgent call to action that makes the crisis impossible to ignore
  • powerful blend of activism and thriller-like storytelling

Detractors panned

  • lacks narrative structure and feels disjointed
  • shallow economic analysis undermines the argument
  • not involving or exciting despite important subject

What stands out

Emotional impactDivisive85

heartbreaking urgency and anger over elephant slaughter

Cinematography75

breathtaking African landscapes contrasted with grim scenes

Atmosphere70

immersive thriller tone from undercover operations

TensionDivisive70

chase and undercover scenes generate real suspense

CharactersDivisive65

focused on investigators and villains, lacks depth

Plot and storyDivisive60

sprawling multi-thread investigation, structurally weak

Originality50

standard advocacy doc format, subject matter is urgent

Pacing45

frequently loses momentum and feels episodic

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 2 points apart
  • US vs non-US 5 points apart

Watch experience

What is The Ivory Game like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense and leaves you fired up. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseMelancholicDread
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Bleak · 8% of films
Told as
Hyperlink · 1% of films: Separate storylines that intersect by coincidence.Episodic · 13% of films: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.
ToneThe film presents the brutal reality of elephant poaching and the fight against it with urgent seriousness, never undercutting its material.
The rideSustained tension from chase scenes and undercover risk, weighing against scenes of slaughtered elephants; the emotional pressure never lets up.
StructureThe film follows multiple investigative teams in different locations whose efforts converge, told in a linked but episodic fashion.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Fired up.

Rousing · 10% of filmsHopeful
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves you fired up to act against poaching and hopeful that the Chinese ban signals real change.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 22% of films: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThis is a documentary about the illegal ivory trade, not a narrative with a plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% (this title) · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Survival

SurvivalGreed · 3% of filmsJustice · 13% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film is fundamentally about the fight for the survival of elephants as a species, driven by human greed and the search for justice against poaching and trafficking.
StanceThe film issues a dire warning about species extinction driven by greed, urging immediate action, and presents the crisis as a global responsibility.

The world

ContemporaryRuralWildernessUrbanInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral modernElectronicSupportive music · original score · H. Scott Salinas
SettingAfrican savanna and Asian cities—Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam
MusicThe score underscores urgency during sting operations and poignancy when showing fallen elephants.

Content guide

Is The Ivory Game okay for kids?

Ratings in 3 other countries
  • AustriaAA
  • Netherlands9
  • Poland16

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does The Ivory Game have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in The Ivory Game?

Crew

Directed by

Kief DavidsonRichard Ladkani

Cinematography

Richard Ladkani

Edited by

Verena Schönauer

Music by

H. Scott Salinas

Produced by

Leonardo DiCaprio, Dinah Czezik-Müller, Michael Frenschkowski, Wolfgang Knöpfler, Jody Gottlieb, Kief Davidson
+12 more, Jennifer Davisson, Jonathan Mussman, Anita Ladkani, Adam Del Deo, Lisa Nishimura, Jason Spingarn-Koff, Tessa Treadway, Carole Tomko, Philip-Jaime Alcazar, Paul Allen, Walter Köhler, Joanne Reay

More like this

What are movies like The Ivory Game?

Movies like The Ivory Game include Before the Flood (2016) and African Cats (2010), both nature documentaries.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with The Ivory Game?

1.1K other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: nature documentary. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.