Another doc that falls into the realm of a fascinating subject not exceptionally well-executed, Big River Man follows world-famous endurance swimmer Martin Strel on his historic swim down the length of the Amazon river. The film delves somewhat into the interesting aspect of what drives the 53-year-old, overweight, heavy-drinking Strel to conquer the world's largest and most dangerous rivers, but could have delved deeper into that aspect; the narration by Strel's son aims the focus more on the father-son dynamic than on what drives Strel and the more interesting contradictions of his character.

As Strel's health begins to fail during the mission, there's certainly dramatic tension as to whether he'll accomplish his goal, but the use of music is grating and often distractingly over-loud, some of the directorial decisions are overly cutesy in their execution, and the apparent staging of certain scenes detracts somewhat from the overall effect. Nonetheless, the film is notable for its focus on a man who's accomplished feats that no one else has even attempted, and worth a watch as a study in what drives a person to achieve extraordinary goals and the effect on the mind when the body is pushed to hard.