The Tillman Story

One of the year's best documentaries.

In the propaganda-filled realms of politics, sports, and the military, that kind of no-bullsh-- -allowed truth feels cathartic. No wonder the Tillman family has spent much of the last 10 years fighting for it.

The Tillman Story is ferocious filmmaking, but it wouldn't have half the force it does if the director didn't also get at the complicated man Pat Tillman was.

Bar-Lev tells Tillman's story "Rashomon"-style, incorporating multiple perspectives on Tillman's politics (left-liberal), religion (atheist), and personal relations (he married Marie, his first and only girlfriend). Still, it is a documentary with more details of how he died than how he lived.

The Tillman Story isn't designed to be a shockeroo exposé; it's more a slow, steady rumble of anger and dismay at what the U.S. military, and the government, can get away with in the name of public relations, as if PR - and not human lives - were the most important consideration during wartime.

Capably narrated by Josh Brolin, Amir Bar-Lev's penetrating and vital documentary goes beyond tracking the Tillman family's investigation into Pat's death to question the motives of commanding officers and higher-ups.

The Tillman Story purports to be an exposé of the cover-up of the death by friendly fire of the Army Ranger and one time NFL star Pat Tillman. But, provocative and colorful as the film is, it does the very thing it denounces -- massaging the facts to seize Tillman for a political agenda.

A powerful, disturbing look into the corruption behind the military cover-up of Pat Tillman's death, but it also presents a look at Tillman's life--one that does not fit the mold of your typical American military hero. The Bush Administration can not be very happy about any of this resurfacing because it is clearly damning. The people responsible for this should be brought to justice, but that seems pretty unlikely.

The Tillman Story is great but after about an hour it just gets repetitive. I get it we all look for answers from our government and sometimes they cover things up. After finding out the coverup, the film just turns into a simpathic bit to morn Pat Tillman's life.

A fact which could be fully explained in just 5 minutes is attempted to be shown like a fascinating mystery, but unfortunately has terribly failed. Very boring and almost pointless.

soldiers die and governments try to make them into heroes. whats so shocking about that? what baffles me is that you sign up to go fight in a war, you get killed, and then people make the death out to be more tragic than any other death. war = tragic. nothing new here, move on.

The Tillman Story is about a professional athlete in a sport that many people love, many people are indifferent about, and many people fundamentally dislike for its violence and overwhelming corporate capitalism. Pat decided to become a soldier instead, but made it very clear that he wanted to go about it low-key and without favor. Predictably, everyone betrayed this intention (arguably, too, his own family). The rest of the film is about that betrayal. Pat is deployed, calls the war â