Inspiring, funny and dramatic, this green-hued film has a genuine broad appeal. - Filmink

It’s a messy film — a few scenes look to be reconstructions, and the lack of any interview with Strel himself is frustrating — but it certainly shows us a colourful part of life’s rich tapestry. - Sunday Times

Big River Man is as close to documentary perfection as possible. Tough and vulnerable Strel is masculinity incarnate, and his quest gestures beyond his beloved red wine and beer and towards the mystical. Astonishing. - Filmstar

If Werner Herzog had made ‘Borat’, the results might have been something like this documentary about the unusual athletic overachiever Martin Strel. - Time Out

Big River Man is up there with the very best modern documentaries. - Channel 4 Film

Director John Maringouin has chanced upon documentary gold - Strel is the sort of off-kilter character even the most imaginative fiction writer would have had troiuble dreaming up. - Sky Movies