99) The Tillman Story
Director: Amir Bar-Lev
Year: 2010
Plot Summary: Pat Tillman never thought of himself as a hero. His choice to leave a multimillion-dollar football contract and join the military wasn't done for any reason other than he felt it was the right thing to do. The fact that the military manipulated his tragic death in the line of duty into a propaganda tool is unfathomable and thoroughly explored in Amir Bar-Lev's riveting and enraging documentary.
Pat Tillman, who gave up a professional football career to defend his country, lost his life in the line of duty after sacrificing himself to save his fellow soldiers. It's a true, patriotic, American story. There's only one problem: It's not true. The true nature of his death was covered up by the American government to use Tillman as a propaganda tool.This terrific documentary exposes the family's fight against the military, the supreme court and even the US government to find out what really happened to their son in order to let him go and move on. It's not only a tribute to a family who put everything into searching for the truth, but it also exposes just how broken and corrupt the American system is. As you'd expect, therefore, it's a harrowing ride and one that leaves you shaken to your core.
Unfortunately, while it's a story that certainly deserves to be told, the documentary struggles to find enough to fit into the 90 minute running time. The first act and final act are as engaging as anything you'll see in 2010, but the middle, which tells the background of Pat Tillman and his brother feels a little long and overly fleshed out. Moreover, aspects of The Tillman Story aren't particularly well put together, in my opinion, and ruin some of the pace and suspense of the story.
Nevertheless, it's a film that should be seen by everyone because, despite the small faults in the actual filmmaking, nothing takes away the fact that The Tillman Story is a riveting, absorbing, shocking and heart-stopping work of non-fiction.
4/5
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