Documentary Film Review: The Tillman Story

The Tillman Story is an inspiring film made by Amir Bar-Lev dealing with dedication, courage, and conspiracy with the government. It is a film about a man who was a pro football player but decides to put his career aside for his country and serve in Afghanistan. It shows how the government could have used Pat as pro-war propaganda, by lying to the public about his death. His mom was outraged when she found out that the government had lied about his death and that her son’s death was actually from friendly fire. The George W. Bush administration decided to tell the tale of Tillman’s death by stating that he was under heavy enemy attack, and he was fatally wounded by incoming fire. The film is structured non-sequential, showing us that Pat died at the beginning of the film then showing us his life was before he went to Afghanistan. Then they proceeded to show what happened after he enlisted and then concluded with the effect on the family after his death.

By putting his career to side and serving in Afghanistan, Pat Tillman is showing a great deal of dedication to his country. He is willing to give up his amazing life in America with many friends and a great career ahead of him to serve for his country and put himself in great danger. The film is biased because it is from the view of Pat Tillmans family. The government used Pat to help rally the public around him and around the military efforts in general. He is undoubtedly a hero, many state though that he is not heroic for the reasons reported by the Bush Administration to the American public. We will never know the actual size of the Tillman cover-up, but I believe that the films view is probably closer to the truth than that of the military’s, yet still speculative.

I liked the views that the film had and the point of view it took. It had many great interviews that proved its points well and were very effective. I thought that the footage from the NFL was a great input to the film. It showed the authenticity and what it would be like for a pro football player to drastically change his life like Pat Tillman. The documentary did not loose my attention and it stayed exciting throughout. One scene was particularly interesting where we see the actual footage from a reception for Pats death where a captain speaks and tells the truth about his death, friendly fire, where the family first finds out that the government lied to them. It is very fascinating because we get to see what the family saw that day and the moment they found out the truth, after being lied to for weeks.

This film questions the honesty of the government and shows how easy it can be for them to lie to the public. Although there is a positive light to the story, the film focus’s more on the fact that the government lied to us. It is inspiring to see a public figure such as a football player like Pat go to war and serve for his country. He is a hero and an idol to many Americans. On the other hand, it is disturbing to see that the government would lie about something like this. We learn what it could be like for a family in an awful situation like this.