Athlete, Football Player (1976–2004)
Football player Pat Tillman enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2002. He was killed in action in 2004, and the exact circumstances of his death are still in question.
Bio, 2016.
Amir Bar-Lev's "The Tillman Story" is a riveting account of how a soldier's death in Afghanistan was spun into a web of public lies. When pro football star turned post-9/11 Army enlistee Pat Tillman was killed in the course of duty, the embarrassing actual circumstances were covered up and turned into a flag-waving story of heroism that the Bush administration happily, and knowingly, used for propaganda purposes. The Tillman family's refusal to accept the official story led to disgraceful admissions, yet, so far, no repercussions for those who perpetrated the lie.
Harvey, D. (2010, February 15). The Tillman Story. Variety, 418(1), 28+.
When Pat Tillman gave up his professional football career to join the Army Rangers in 2002, he became an instant symbol of patriotic fervor and unflinching duty. But the truth about Pat Tillman is far more complex, and ultimately far more heroic, then the caricature. And when the government tried to turn his death into propaganda, they took on the wrong family. From her home in Northern California, Pat's mother, Dannie Tillman, led the family's crusade to reveal the truth beneath the mythology of their son's life and death. THE TILLMAN STORY resounds with emotion and insight, and goes beyond an indictment of the government to touch on themes as timeless as the notion of heroism itself.
Amir Bar-Lev is the acclaimed documentary director of Happy Valley; 12.12.12: The Concert for Sandy Relief; Re:Generation; The Tillman Story ; and My Kid Could Paint That; which have collectively garnered him some of the film industry’s highest honours and widespread critical praise. He also served as co-producer on the Academy Award Nominated Documentary Trouble the Water.
Chelsea Pictures, n.d.
