“The Cove,” a documentary uncovering the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan, takes filmmaking to a whole new level.

With hidden cameras, night vision, and old-fashioned spy tactics, director Louie Psihoyos and dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry elude the Japanese government in their fight to expose activities in a hidden ocean cove.

Each morning, hundreds of dolphins are herded into a secluded cove in Taiji, Japan and never seen again.

As creator of the famed television show “Flipper” and one of the first people to train dolphins, O’Barry feels responsible for the horrors of today’s dolphin trade and the horrors within the cove. He’s now dedicated his life to releasing dolphins from captivity and revealing the issue to the public.

After numerous arrests for his dolphin-freeing acts, he returns to Japan to stop the issue at its source—Taiji.

This small Japanese town is the largest exporter of dolphins for domestication in the world. O’Barry leads a group of divers, cinematographers, and environmentalists to uncover the mysteries of the town’s cove.

But the group is up against the big guys—the Japanese government.

Japanese government agents follow the group around town, and one in particular, dubbed Private Space by the team, records their every move while shouting two words, “Private Space!”

Private Space brings comic relief to the intensity of the documentary.

Unfortunately, the intensity builds slowly. The first half hour is pretty slow, explaining the history of dolphin training.

But by the final scene, I was emotionally torn.

I distrusted the Japanese government, I feared for the children of Japan who were forced to eat the dangerous dolphin meat in school, and I cheered for O’Barry and his mission.

The documentary has many similarities to Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars,” and it even features Captain Paul Watson from the show.

Like in “Whale Wars,” “The Cove” exposes the Japanese government’s attempts to cover up environmental atrocities.

“The Cove” dramatically changed my outlook on dolphins—a success on the director’s part. The heart-wrenching documentary receives an “A” because it has an unforgettable combination of environmentalism and espionage.

Joey Hoff can be reached for comment at [email protected]