The Tillman Story (2010)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Everett J

  
  "The Tillman Story" is the true story of ex NFL player turned fallen Army Ranger, Pat Tillman. Told by his family and friends it's a very real and sad portrait of a family in need of answers for the death of their son. The main focus of the movie is about the coverup… More
  "The Tillman Story" is the true story of ex NFL player turned fallen Army Ranger, Pat Tillman. Told by his family and friends it's a very real and sad portrait of a family in need of answers for the death of their son. The main focus of the movie is about the coverup of his death. At first it was reported that enemy fire killed Tillman, then it became known that it was friendly fire. But the hire ups wanted to use Tillman's death as propaganda for the war going on and to become a symbol of patriotism. Turns out almost everything the media and government have said about Tillman was B.S. He was much more complex than what he was portrayed to be. The film is fascinating and will grab your attention from beginning to end. In the end your left with the family wishing to have answers, yet feeling angry over the governments lack of resolve. Unflinching and at times uncomfortable to watch, this documentary is must see. If for no other reason than to see how wrong our government system works. Especially in honoring those who have given up everything to serve our country.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"a mystery. a cover up. a crime. one family will risk everything for the truth."</i> 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… More
  <i>"a mystery. a cover up. a crime. one family will risk everything for the truth."</i> 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. <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> Sitting down to write about the "The Tillman Story" makes me recall the same emotions that the movie evokes, and frustration is at the forefront. I want to start by writing about the premise, the story of an intelligent young man who was a successful football player, who ended up dying while fighting in war. But that is exactly what Pat Tillman, the late protagonist, wouldn't want. In addition, Pat Tillman was the only thing the country was talking about for several months in 2004. And then I want to extol the artistic merits of the story-telling in this movie, and how it carefully peels away at the truth behind his death. But ultimately the film-making qualities aren't what make this movie worth seeing. After that, I want to explain why "The Tillman Story" is simultaneously wonderful and terrible... wonderful in that it shines light on a shadow that deserves to be exposed, but terrible for how the viewer feels after seeing what was there. It is not the movie itself that is terrible, but instead how the story makes you feel after seeing it. But these descriptions are better left for the movie to tell. "The Tillman Story" is worth seeing, and even more so if you are an American. It provides glimpses into the US military complex and it's mechanisms of self preservation. It details a family's experience with the death of one of their own. It will give you a mix of reactions and emotions, with no real final answer to the issues at stake. If you are looking for a light-hearted romp, or a documentary about the latest easy-going topic-du-jour, "The Tillman Story" isn't the right place to start.

• Jennifer X

  
  I ordinarily hate political documentaries. They're so angry and preachy and take forever to get the point, and usually the message is along the lines of "Look how much the government sucks, guys." But "The Tillman Story" falls under the narrative of a grand… More
  I ordinarily hate political documentaries. They're so angry and preachy and take forever to get the point, and usually the message is along the lines of "Look how much the government sucks, guys." But "The Tillman Story" falls under the narrative of a grand drama. The details are withheld and revealed with such stunning grandiosity you almost forget you're watching a documentary altogether. The film fits in a mountain of emotions into a very technicality-laced story, and the results are truly astonishing.

• Mike S

  
  Never does it cease to amaze me, what the people in power will do just to protect their own behinds. I don't wanna sound too melodramatic here, but it's sad to live in a world where our authorities not only cover up the truth, but also exploits someone's death to their… More
  Never does it cease to amaze me, what the people in power will do just to protect their own behinds. I don't wanna sound too melodramatic here, but it's sad to live in a world where our authorities not only cover up the truth, but also exploits someone's death to their own benefit. If that's not the definition of wrong, then I don't know what is. What's even worse though, is the fact that the death was caused by soldiers fighting on the same side. Trigger-happy psychopaths, negligent to the safety of their brothers-in-arms. Thankfully though, there are people like the Tillman family.People who wouldn't let themselves be quieted, and made a stand for truth, justice and personal integrity. This film tells their story, and their fight against the corruption of a government they once trusted. A superb documentary, that inspires, upsets and involves you to the fullest. Not to be missed!

• Nate Z

  
  Perhaps better than any movie I've ever seen, the searing documentary The Tillman story explores the nature of shared grief and whether a family is even entitled to privacy when the world feels like it has a shared pain in their loss. This documentary focuses on former NFL star… More
  Perhaps better than any movie I've ever seen, the searing documentary The Tillman story explores the nature of shared grief and whether a family is even entitled to privacy when the world feels like it has a shared pain in their loss. This documentary focuses on former NFL star Pat Tillman who enlisted in the Army Rangers in 2002 and was killed in 2004 in the mountains of Afghanistan. He was hailed as a hero of battle, saving his men from enemy ambush, but the truth was really far less sensational but just as damaging. Tillman was killed by friendly fire, a fact the Army admitted only with their backs against the wall. Tillman was their most famous soldier and became a recruiting poster for the post-9/11 armed forces. The doc recounts Tillman's family struggling to get a straight answer from Army officials and government goons who felt the truth could not compare to a good story. While recreating the events that lead to Tillman's death in a mostly commanding manner, the doc's real draw is exploring the idea of a family who has had their private mourning torn away, who are trotted around the nation to events memorializing their son, turning him into whatever symbol best serves personal agendas (conservative pundits are seen in stubborn disbelief when it comes to processing the news that Tillman read Noam Chomsky, thought the Iraq War was illegal, and was going to vote for John Kerry in 2004). What gets lost in all that patriotic maneuvering is a complicated man who didn't want to become a myth. Nate's Grade: B

• Reid V

  
  This film is an excellent character study of an unlikely symbol. When Tillman left his multi-million dollar football contract, he did not want any recognition. In private he specifically asked that he received a funeral befit for any man, not one that boasts of military heroism and… More
  This film is an excellent character study of an unlikely symbol. When Tillman left his multi-million dollar football contract, he did not want any recognition. In private he specifically asked that he received a funeral befit for any man, not one that boasts of military heroism and bravado. However, after his untimely death by fratricide, the army quickly covered up the reasons for his death and put his heroic story on display for the world to see. While it is a story of personal injustice and bureaucratic maleficence, it is a story about a nation in need of something tangible to hold on to in such intemperate times.

• Thomas J

  
  This movie is a sad tribute to the U.S. governments inability to admit mistakes. It is sad a family had to push so hard to have the truth of their son's death told but still with little confirmation as to what actually happened. Great movie - sad commentary of the state of the… More
  This movie is a sad tribute to the U.S. governments inability to admit mistakes. It is sad a family had to push so hard to have the truth of their son's death told but still with little confirmation as to what actually happened. Great movie - sad commentary of the state of the U.S.'s leaders in these post 9/11 ties. Is it any wonder banks, and Wall Street are as corrupt as they are, look who is regulating them - spineless leaders looking at the marketing of war for economic reasons!

• familiar s

  
  Good documentary about an extraordinary person who prefers to join army and lets go his career in football with which he could have earned millions. It depicts how power corrupts. I would have liked it more had it been shorter. Often, it becomes repetitive in an attempt to raise the… More
  Good documentary about an extraordinary person who prefers to join army and lets go his career in football with which he could have earned millions. It depicts how power corrupts. I would have liked it more had it been shorter. Often, it becomes repetitive in an attempt to raise the dramatic intensity.

• Walter M

  
  What the documentary "The Tillman Story" does very well is in filling in the gaps of the life and death of Pat Tillman, a professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals, whose reading list ranged from The Book of Mormon to Noam Chomsky. Enlisting in the army six… More
  What the documentary "The Tillman Story" does very well is in filling in the gaps of the life and death of Pat Tillman, a professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals, whose reading list ranged from The Book of Mormon to Noam Chomsky. Enlisting in the army six months after 9/11, he died in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004 that is told in horrifying detail here that explains clearly why giving 19-year olds guns may not always be a good idea, even in the military where you would expect greater discipline.(I would have liked a little information on friendly fire incidents in general to get an idea as to how common they are.) With the Army initially lying over his cause of death, his parents work tirelessly to get to the bottom of the cover-up. So far, so good. However, sadly, I did not find the Army cover-up that surprising or shocking and it is here where a little historical context would have gone a long way. Start with Vietnam being a public relations disaster(not to mention more importantly a running war crime) which informed the military's future need to control every aspect of information that is dispensed, so as to create a narrative in their favor. Going back even further, pretty much to the beginning, is the need for heroes in wartime that fulfill a need for bright shining faces on recruiting posters.

• Jeff T

  
  Riveting, haunting and absolutely infuriating, this chronicle of the death of Pat Tillman and its conspiracy-laden aftermath is an essential chapter in the ongoing history of our involvement in Afghanistan. Viewed in comparison with reading Jon Krakauer's remarkable WHERE MEN… More
  Riveting, haunting and absolutely infuriating, this chronicle of the death of Pat Tillman and its conspiracy-laden aftermath is an essential chapter in the ongoing history of our involvement in Afghanistan. Viewed in comparison with reading Jon Krakauer's remarkable WHERE MEN WIN GLORY (which tells the same story in great, great detail), the movie stands on its own with stunning success. Beyond the awful injustice of Tillman's death and the slow revelation of its true nature, this is the story of a fascinating family who just won't take no for an answer. The 90 minutes fly by and you may, as I did, find yourself in an audience groaning audibly and shouting things at the screen in its appalling last 20 minutes. First-rate documentary filmmaking.

• Glenn G

  
  American culture is so often based on the little lies we tell each other to help us get through life --- "You look great." "This pie is very tasty. " "You're so talented." It's so ingrained in everyone's fiber, that we often don't… More
  American culture is so often based on the little lies we tell each other to help us get through life --- "You look great." "This pie is very tasty. " "You're so talented." It's so ingrained in everyone's fiber, that we often don't notice it. That behavior, however, can turn dangerous. We want to protect each other from the cold hard truths so much, that we deny what's right in front of us. We like to prop up certain people as our idols, but forget the complicated person underneath. Sometimes the football hero isn't Mr. Perfect. For me, this gets to the heart of this remarkable documentary, THE TILLMAN STORY. A story familiar to many - professional football star, Pat Tillman, quits his career to fight in the war following 9/11 is met with an unfortunate end. Killed by friendly fire, the military and the government cover it up to make his death seem more heroic. He's used as a prop, an icon for the ever-illusive "Great American". What nobody expected, however, was that the Tillman family, especially the matriarch, Dannie Tillman, was the wrong family upon which to foist these lies. If this were fiction, the tagline for the movie poster writes itself: YOU FUCKED WITH THE WRONG FAMILY! Unfortunately, it's not fiction, and what we have here is on one level, a very tragic tale of loss, but on the other, the story about the death of American Truth. It's in this way that the film really spoke to me. It seems that not only do the Tillmans want the truth told, they want those in power to stop the lies they tell in order to keep us comfortable. They want us to see the real consequences of war - the coffins, the bloody battles, the grieving families. In one incredible moment, one of Pat Tillman's brothers gets up at his funeral, beer in hand, t-shirt and jeans on, and tells the illustrious crowd, who have invoked God and Country in their pompous speeches that his brother didn't believe in God, that he's not in Heaven, and that he's just "fucking dead". He not only wanted people to know the real Pat, but he wanted them to stop using his brother for their own personal agenda. This is the story of a REAL American Family. Flawed. Angry. Honest. This film is a primal scream at the very foundation upon which this country has been built, and is essential viewing for anyone who is tired of the lies.

• Beth M

  
  This documentary was a heartbreaking insight on what really goes on in the US military. I was appauled and shocked by all the things that had happened to Pat Tillman and his family, but I was pleasently surprised to see how much they didn't just sit down and take all of the hurt… More
  This documentary was a heartbreaking insight on what really goes on in the US military. I was appauled and shocked by all the things that had happened to Pat Tillman and his family, but I was pleasently surprised to see how much they didn't just sit down and take all of the hurt the military had caused them. His father with that letter was inspirational and it was so heartwrenching to see them have to go over their despicable ordeal over again. I was so happy for them, that they had got some justice that they deserved, but those soliders deserved prison time and do not belong anywhere near the army. War is a terrible thing and it's disgraceful that some of the people fighting to stop it, are actually causing more of it.

• Alec B

  
  At its best, "The Tillman Story" is about the way we create legends. Lies become the truth, the truth gets lost, and we use the lies to sell a product. In Pat Tillman's case the military and the government used his unfortunate death to sell a war . . . the fact that… More
  At its best, "The Tillman Story" is about the way we create legends. Lies become the truth, the truth gets lost, and we use the lies to sell a product. In Pat Tillman's case the military and the government used his unfortunate death to sell a war . . . the fact that the truth, even long after it becomes obvious, is still damn near impossible for these people to tell is inexcusable.

• Bill C

  
  A free thinking agnostic who's fear of becoming a recruiting poster for the war, almost came true in his death. I had passed watching this movie up because of my preconceived notions it was going to be a "macho muscle head who who joined special forces to serve his steroid… More
  A free thinking agnostic who's fear of becoming a recruiting poster for the war, almost came true in his death. I had passed watching this movie up because of my preconceived notions it was going to be a "macho muscle head who who joined special forces to serve his steroid boosted ego and died in a tear jerking manor by friendly fire", I could have not been more wrong.

• Jason R

  
  A very unapologetic and eye-opening film. That not only pays tribute to this fallen hero. But brings to light the grave misjustice in how our Government has covered-up and lied to the Tillman family, and to the country about the events that led to the death of Pat Tillman. Will this… More
  A very unapologetic and eye-opening film. That not only pays tribute to this fallen hero. But brings to light the grave misjustice in how our Government has covered-up and lied to the Tillman family, and to the country about the events that led to the death of Pat Tillman. Will this make you sad? Yes. Will it piss you off? Most certainly. You need to see this movie! Not just because it is a good film, but it is probably one of the most important documentaries to come out, in the post 9/11 era.

• Anoop K

  
  Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. quit his professional football career and turned down a multi-million dollar offer from the NFL team Arizona Cardinals to join the US army. Less than 2 years later he was killed in Afghanistan. The army informed his family that he was killed in an ambush. As… More
  Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. quit his professional football career and turned down a multi-million dollar offer from the NFL team Arizona Cardinals to join the US army. Less than 2 years later he was killed in Afghanistan. The army informed his family that he was killed in an ambush. As time passed they began to understand that the truth is something else. An extra-ordinary story of a family's fight for truth, a mother's fight for her son's honour. The film steadily uncovers a cover-up of the real circumstances behind Pat's death, a cover-up that might involve big shots of army and government; at the same time exposing the insensitiveness of the media in general. Engrossing as a thriller, touching and exhilarating as a drama, this unbelievable account of truth is a must watch.

• Erin C

  
  This was really shocking. I never saw Tillman play, but I had always heard parts of his story from others. Seeing this was very eye-opening and it makes me hate politics and the government even more! The fact that they tried so hard to cover this up is just sickening.

Read all 17 featured audience ratings