The Tillman Story

A Powerful Documentary
"The Tillman Story" is a powerful, hard-hitting documentary about the most famous enlistee in the U.S. armed forces following the Nine-Eleven attacks, Pat Tillman. He was a famous NFL football player. The Bush administration realized the publicity value of this celebrity. He and his brother enlisted together, and his reasons for signing up were really not made clear until this film. He and his brother served a term in Iraq and then went on for duty in Afghanistan. He was a bright, thoughtful young man who read some anti-war stuff by people like Noam Chomsky. He was killed in action in Afghhanistan and was awarded the Silver Star for heroism.
When he first died there was a great deal of ceremony regarding his heroic death. At one ceremony John McCain spoke. Then information began to leak out. His death was not by enemy fire but by friendly fire. This film was the first time I have ever heard such incidents referred to as fratricide. That's a very strong, loaded term.
In this...

A must see documentary
This fascinating documentary depicts Pat Tillman as a successful, likable, down to earth freethinker who gave up his success in the NFL to join the US military. Whatever motivated him to enlist was quickly shattered when he got to Iraq. As he witnessed bombs destroy an Iraqi city he declared the war an illegal one. The US military hailed his enlistment & subsequent death in heroic detail, undoubtedly encouraging many young men to enlist.

This documentary is excellent because it shatters the romanticism of war with a real story of an honorable man & family who were manipulated to promote war propaganda. You can't help but empathize with the Tillman family for their loss & betrayal. The military's upper ranks messed with a strong mother & the wrong family. The Tillman family did as much as they could to hold whoever ordered the cover up accountable, and alas, no real punishment was handed out. It shows the raw reality of war & unaccountability of the military's top brass. All...

Remember the Iconoclast, Not the Icon
Amir Bar-Lev's film "The Tillman Story" contributes to the restoration of Pat Tillman's legacy by honoring the man, not the myth. The iconoclast, not the icon. As his mother said, "Pat would have wanted to be remembered as an individual, not as a stock figure or political prop. Pat was a real hero, not what they used him as."

Amir Bar-Lev, the film's director, tells three stories that interweave together throughout his film: a biography of Pat Tillman (growing up, playing in the NFL, joining the Army Rangers with his brother Kevin after 9/11), how he was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 and his friendly-fire death covered up by the Army, and his family's battle to learn the truth after smokescreens were thrown in their face by the highest levels of the Army and government (both Republicans and Democrats).

"The Tillman Story" is an apt title. The film follows the outline of Mary Tillman's memoir "Boots on the Ground by Dusk," many of the interviews are with...

Click to Editorial Reviews