swamp lion movie review

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Swamp Lion Reviews

A tight 95 minute thriller buried in a 110 minute melodrama.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Sep 19, 2022

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Set in the Rio Grande Valley, ‘Swamp Lion’ explores the perils of American health care

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Courtesy Swamp Lion

Rio Grande Valley native Michael Escamilla, center, stars in the new film. It was his last role before he died in June.

Danish filmmaker Torben Bech’s new film “Swamp Lion” is having its world premiere at the Austin Film Festival this week. Set in South Texas, the film tells the story of parents pushed to desperate measures in order to pay for their child’s medical bills. The film was inspired in part by Bech’s experience living in the United States and navigating the American health care system. Bech chose to set the film in Texas after Rio Grande Valley native Michael Escamilla, who stars in the film, told Bech the film felt like a “border story.”

“In Denmark, health care and school is something that we don’t think about. It’s part of our tax system. It’s just part of the state. So for me, it was strange to be nervous about just getting ill.” 

“When my first son was born, he was born with an illness and that actually brought me back to thinking about what it was like in America.”

“It just got me thinking about what you would do if you didn’t have the money for the treatment that your son or your daughter needed.”

“Michael Escamilla, who is the main character ‘Jim’ in our movie, is from McAllen. And Michael said, ‘Well, this is a border story. This is about where I’m from.'”

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WhichFilm | Film Reviews | Audience Film Reviews

Swamp Lion (2022)

Director: Torben Bech 111 minutes

A man turns to drug smuggling to help pay for his sons cancer treatment.

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I found Swamp Lion enjoyable. The distance a family goes to save a child will test many of us during our lifetime and in this case the distance has to turn to smuggling drugs over the US/Mexico border in a huge truck to earn the vast sums required to help their son through his cancer treatment. There are tense moments but we spend very little time on the antagonists, seeing them fleetingly as they threaten the man and his family should any smuggling go wrong. But, even for driving truckloads across the border the earnings are not enough so he takes part in some skimming which of course has repercussions. There are a lot of tense moments in a truck waiting at the border and the finale where they mother and child are on the run will have you sweating for them. Less is always more in my book, and Swamp Lion went for less action but more emotional pressure which is good to see in an age where many go for the 'all guns blazing' type of scenes. Very watchable and very entertaining.

This isn't your usual cartel gun wielding action shootout which makes a change. It's more a thriller about a guy trying to get a truck over the border without getting caught. It's kinda tense but only exciting in parts and prob not a movie I will watch again.

I was left very disappointed at the ending which should have been far tenser than it was. I thought the buildup was good and correctly paced. Could have done with more "drug lord" scenes although I did love the coffee shop scene and dialogue. I just wanted a bit more from Swamp Lion. Oh, anyone have a clue why it's called Swamp Lion??

Swamp Lion is based on a sad story, pulls at the heart strings and has all the drama that comes with drugs. Its tense and at times feel sorry for the guy.. after all.. what would you do to save your son!

Its no breaking bad of course it aint but still good. Swamp Lion is a slow burner at the start and kinda filters threw

Tense stuff, enjoyed that.

Brilliant movie. Badass

I liked this a lot. Was nice and tense. It's the 'normal guy gets into the drug business' type of movie.

This was in the mould of that Breaking Bad although as it's only a film we couldn't see much depth in the characters as there isn't enough time. As a film it's alright, it's tense in certain bits and gives the overdone story of what mothers and fathers will do to save their kids, drug running seems to be the most lucrative but obviously has plenty of risks. This is worth a watch if you haven't watched it yet.

Have you seen these?

A father in a south-Texas border town starts trafficking drugs to pay for his son's cancer treatment. Swamp Lion featuring Michael Ray Escamilla and Bre Blair is streaming with subscription on Philo, streaming with subscription on fuboTV, free on Sony Crackle, and 4 others. It's a crime and drama movie with a less than average IMDb audience rating of 5.4 (510 votes).

Where to Watch

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Currently you are able to watch Swamp Lion streaming on Roku, Sony Crackle, fuboTV, Philo, and The Roku Channel. It is also possible to buy Swamp Lion on Prime Video, and Apple TV or rent it on Prime Video, and Apple TV.

'Swamp Lion' Streaming: How to Watch Anywhere

Currently, Swamp Lion is available in the US

If Swamp Lion is not available in your country or you're traveling, use ExpressVPN to access it anywhere. Plus, Reelgood users get 3 months free , making it easier to enjoy your favorite content without interruptions.

Streaming availability last updated: 03:02:21 AM, 09/04/2024 PST

More Information onSwamp Lion

Torben bech, michael ray escamilla, jack elliot ybarra, luis bordonada, karen sours albisua, david barrera, dominic hoffman, cesar garcia.

Ratings & Reviews

The Reelgood Score is a comprehensive weighted index designed to evaluate movie & TV quality, deriving its value from a blend of Reelgood user engagement, external ratings metrics expressed through content popularity, and user feedback, including ratings such as "loved," "liked," and "disliked." The score is presented on a scale from 1 to 100, where 100 signifies content that is highly esteemed and positively rated within the community.

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Swamp Lion (2022) Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'swamp lion' online.

Want to watch ' Swamp Lion ' on your TV, phone, or tablet? Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Torben Bech-directed movie via subscription can be difficult, so we here at Moviefone want to do right by you. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription options - along with the availability of 'Swamp Lion' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into all the details of how you can watch 'Swamp Lion' right now, here are some finer points about the crime flick. Released August 23rd, 2022, 'Swamp Lion' stars Michael Ray Escamilla , Bre Blair , Jack Elliot Ybarra , Luis Bordonada The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 50 min, and received a user score of 33 (out of 100) on TMDb, which collated reviews from 3 respected users. What, so now you want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "A father in a Texas border town starts trafficking drugs to pay for his son's cancer treatment." 'Swamp Lion' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on Google Play Movies, fuboTV, Amazon Video, Apple iTunes, YouTube, Plex Channel, Crackle, Vudu, and The Roku Channel .

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Based on writer-director Torben Bech’s personal experiences,  Swamp Lion  is a neo-western crime drama about a working-class family’s struggle to save their son. This tense, heart-wrenching film is set in a small Texas border town where parents Jim (Michael Ray Escamilla) and Bee (Bre Blair) struggle to keep up with their son’s ever-increasing medical bills. When a new treatment costs $250,000, Jim decides he must do whatever it takes to get the money – even if that means trafficking drugs across the US/Mexican border. This gritty, beautifully acted film explores how far a family will go to save their child and the moral decay that can sometimes follow love and sacrifice.  

World Premiere October 2021 – Austin Film Festival   

November 12’s screening is followed by a Q&A with actor Bre Blair and producer Magnus Kristiansen.

Friday, November 12, 8:30pm | Kelly Strayhorn Theater  

Wednesday, November 17, 7pm | The Tull Family Theater  

Watch the trailer below:

Swamp Lion - at Tull Family Theater

Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started.

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Currently available on 7 streaming services.

Swamp Lion (2022)

111min - English

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We checked for updates on 246 streaming services on September 4, 2024 at 8:42:56 PM. Something wrong? Let us know!

Swamp Lion streaming: where to watch online?

Currently you are able to watch "Swamp Lion" streaming on fuboTV or for free with ads on The Roku Channel, Crackle. It is also possible to rent "Swamp Lion" on Amazon Video, Apple TV online and to download it on Apple TV, Amazon Video.

A father in a south-Texas border town starts trafficking drugs to pay for his son's cancer treatment.

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Swamp Lion (2022)

Crime, Drama, Thriller, Western

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• Michael Ray Escamilla

• Jack Elliot Ybarra

• Karen Sours Albisua

• Dominic Hoffman
• Manny Escamilla
• Stephanie Rascoe
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Directed by Torben Bech

How far would you go for family?

A father in a Texas border town starts trafficking drugs to pay for his son's cancer treatment.

Michael Ray Escamilla Bre Blair Jack Elliot Ybarra Luis Bordonada Karen Sours Albisua David Barrera Dominic Hoffman

Director Director

Torben Bech

Producer Producer

Cesar Garcia

Writer Writer

Alternative title.

The Promise

Crime Drama Thriller

Releases by Date

23 oct 2021, 23 aug 2022, releases by country.

• Premiere Austin Film Festival

110 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

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Watch Swamp Lion

• 1 hr 51 min
• 5.5   (500)

After their son is diagnosed with advanced cancer, a trucker driver and supermarket cashier, Jim and Bee, struggle to climb the mountain of medical bills. In their greatest hour of need they are forced to come up with $250,000 in order to afford treatment. In this emotional and financial crisis, Jim ultimately decides to traffic drugs across the US/Mexican border. All sense of morality is thrown out of the window as Jim does whatever it takes to save his only son. This film explores how far a family will go to save their child and the moral decay that follows love and sacrifice.

• Genres Crime Drama Western
• Cast Michael Ray Escamilla Bre Blair Jack Elliot Ybarra
• Director Torben Bech
• Release Date 2022
• MPAA Rating NR
• Runtime 1 hr 51 min
• Language English
• IMDB Rating 5.5   (500)