The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young

October. 26,2014      NR
Rating:
7.7
Subscription
Rent / Buy
Subscription
Trailer Synopsis Cast

In its first 25 years only 10 people have finished The Barkley Marathons. Based on a historic prison escape, this cult like race tempts people from around the world to test their limits of physical and mental endurance in this documentary that contemplates the value of pain.

Lazarus Lake as  

Similar titles

Scene Missing
Scene Missing
The unfinished documentary about the making of Dennis Hopper's mostly unseen feature film The Last Movie (1971).
Scene Missing 2012
Watermark
Prime Video
Watermark
Following their triumph with Manufactured Landscapes, photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal reunite to explore the ways in which humanity has shaped, manipulated and depleted one of its most vital and compromised resources: water.
Watermark 2014
Jesus Camp
Prime Video
Jesus Camp
Jesus Camp is a Christian summer camp where children hone their "prophetic gifts" and are schooled in how to "take back America for Christ". The film is a first-ever look into an intense training ground that recruits born-again Christian children to become an active part of America's political future.
Jesus Camp 2006
The Same Difference
The Same Difference
The Same Difference is a documentary about lesbians who discriminate against other lesbians! The Same Difference, through a series of lesbian women stories, discusses the hypocrisy in terms of gender roles and the per formative expectations.
The Same Difference 2015
TWA Flight 800
TWA Flight 800
A thought-provoking documentary about the ill-fated Trans World Airline Flight 800 to Paris, France, which exploded on July 17, 1996 just 12 minutes after takeoff from JFK International Airport, killing all 230 people on board. The special features six former members of the official crash investigation breaking their silence to refute the officially proposed cause of the jetliner's demise and reveal how the investigation was systematically undermined.
TWA Flight 800 2013
Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus
Prime Video
Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus
In the Republic of Belarus, Europe’s last remaining unreconstructed Communist dictatorship, the Belarus Free Theatre risks censorship, imprisonment and worse to stage their provocative and subversive plays in secret performances at home and to critical acclaim abroad. Director Madeleine Sackler goes behind the scenes with this group of gutsy performers as they brave a renewed government crackdown on dissenters in 2010.
Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus 2014
Beyond The Edge
Beyond The Edge
A 3D feature film about Sir Edmund Hillary's monumental and historical ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953 - an event that stunned the world and defined a nation.
Beyond The Edge 2013
Thicker Than Water
Thicker Than Water
As Greg Louganis prepared for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul he had not only the pressure of winning an unprecedented second gold medal on his mind, but also the weight on his recently discovered HIV status on his shoulders.
Thicker Than Water 2015

You May Also Like

The Wolf of Wall Street
Prime Video
The Wolf of Wall Street
A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.
The Wolf of Wall Street 2013
Dead Poets Society
Prime Video
Dead Poets Society
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.
Dead Poets Society 1989
Zootopia
Disney+
Zootopia
Determined to prove herself, Officer Judy Hopps, the first bunny on Zootopia's police force, jumps at the chance to crack her first case - even if it means partnering with scam-artist fox Nick Wilde to solve the mystery.
Zootopia 2016
Singin' in the Rain
Max
Singin' in the Rain
In 1927 Hollywood, a silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
Singin' in the Rain 1952
The Green Mile
Max
The Green Mile
A supernatural tale set on death row in a Southern prison, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the cell block's head guard, Paul Edgecomb, recognizes Coffey's miraculous gift, he tries desperately to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
The Green Mile 1999
Jack Reacher
Prime Video
Jack Reacher
One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military sniper who is quickly brought into custody. The interrogation yields one written note: 'Get Jack Reacher!'. Reacher, an enigmatic ex-Army investigator, believes the authorities have the right man but agrees to help the sniper's defense attorney. However, the more Reacher delves into the case, the less clear-cut it appears. So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.
Jack Reacher 2012
Drag Me to Hell
Prime Video
Drag Me to Hell
After denying a woman the extension she needs to keep her home, loan officer Christine Brown sees her once-promising life take a startling turn for the worse. Christine is convinced she's been cursed by a Gypsy, but her boyfriend is skeptical. Her only hope seems to lie in a psychic who claims he can help her lift the curse and keep her soul from being dragged straight to hell.
Drag Me to Hell 2009
Brawl in Cell Block 99
HULU
Brawl in Cell Block 99
After working as a drug courier and getting into a brutal shootout with police, a former boxer finds himself at the mercy of his enemies as they force him to instigate violent acts that turn the prison he resides in into a battleground.
Brawl in Cell Block 99 2017
Game Night
Prime Video
Game Night
Max and Annie's weekly game night gets kicked up a notch when Max's brother Brooks arranges a murder mystery party -- complete with fake thugs and federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it's all supposed to be part of the game. As the competitors set out to solve the case, they start to learn that neither the game nor Brooks are what they seem to be. The friends soon find themselves in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn over the course of one chaotic night.
Game Night 2018
Unhinged
Prime Video
Unhinged
Rachel is a divorced single mother whose bad day gets even worse. She's running late to drop her son off at school when she honks her horn impatiently at a fellow driver during rush-hour traffic. After an exchange of words, she soon realizes that the mysterious man is following her and her young son in his truck. A case of road rage quickly escalates, at horrifyingly psychotic proportions, into full-blown terror as Rachel discovers the psychopath's sinister plan for revenge. He is single-mindedly determined to teach her a deadly lesson.
Unhinged 2020

Reviews

Baseshment
2014/10/26

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

... more
Chirphymium
2014/10/27

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

... more
Lucia Ayala
2014/10/28

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

... more
Jakoba
2014/10/29

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

... more
christopher_langer
2014/10/30

A fun, warm look at the weirdos and Weirdo In Chief orbiting the enigmatic Barkley Marathon. Well worth the watch, especially if you're looking for something that has nuance and psychology but is also not a hard watch.

... more
witster18
2014/10/31

The organizer of the race is fairly clear that this film has little to nothing to do with a prison escape. And the rest of the film is a bit too dull to do this brutal race justice.A bit more interaction/background with the participants, or a bit of style whatsoever would have helped. THere's not doubt this is a grueling race, and if the film accomplishes something - it's showing us that. Albeit, in a very rudimentary fashion.A bit more about the area, or the participants, or the creator... something! Instead, it's about as basic as a documentary can get, and here it really hurts the overall "film". And I put "film" in parenthesis because it's barely a film. Of course, when he's charging a flannel-shirt or $1.62 for applications to enter the race - you can see where he didn't have the funds to put into a documentary about his great race.It's not completely incompetent. At least it gives us a decent description of the race itself. The event seems very interesting. It's amazing to me that such an amazing, brutal event can be portrayed in such a drab, inconsequential manner. It deserves better. If the race isn't about a prison escape, then why bring it up, and if it is, how about a neat back-story, but no. ANd style wise, it leaves a lot to be desired. As an event - it's a "10". As a documentary film, a "5".

... more
sdm-10771
2014/11/01

Though I may never get or take the chance to experience the challenge that is the Barkley Marathons, I got a taste of the insanity by watching this film. The interviews with the race directors and participants give a glimpse into what truly must be the toughest race on earth. Although I was already familiar with the results from having read Ed Furtaw's book, "Tales from Out There," Seeing the course and the eyes of the competitor's deepened my understanding of the term pushed to the limit.Highly recommend this film to all those who like to go further or appreciate extreme effort.

... more
Bryan Martinez
2014/11/02

The Barkley Marathons is about a race based on a prison escape that only ten people have finished in the last twenty-five years. This is a documentary where the mere concept of it excites you and believe me, it delivers. It's crazy how something as weird and obscure as this has been going on for so long and people just began to hear about it. It has some nice looking shots which some documentaries don't have at all. It's informational and entertaining at the same time which is a plus. My only flaw with it was how hard it was to remember who was who while watching. With fifty different racers it's hard to keep track and I feel like a better job could've been done. 8/10 -- Great. Please give this film a watch. It hurts me to see movies like this get no attention whatsoever. You can buy it on Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, and iTunes for like five dollars digitally and on their website, you can but it for twenty-five bucks on Blu-Ray. I wouldn't recommend torrenting it because a film like this needs all the attention it can get.

... more