Tillman Story

Theatrical Release Date: 2010 08 20 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396372351

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Profanity]

Summary: In 2002, as America was poised to go to war in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Pat Tillman, a defensive back with the Arizona Cardinals, joined the United States Army, believing he had a duty to serve in a time of need even though he had signed a lucrative deal to play professional football. Tillman served a tour of duty in Iraq and was on patrol in Afghanistan when, on April 22, 2004, he was killed during a reconnaissance mission near the border of Pakistan. When word spread about Tillman's death, the Army issued a press release declaring he'd been shot down while trying to heroically block the fire of a band of Taliban insurgents. While the Army's story painted a glowing picture of the fallen soldier and athlete, some of the details sounded suspect to Tillman's family, and in time they began asking questions. As it happens, Tillman's parents were outspoken in their opposition to the war in Iraq, and after he had seen what was happening firsthand, so was Tillman, who had been a sharp student with an interest in politics during his college years. In time, Tillman's parents demanded an investigation into their son's death, and the testimony of several witnesses revealed that Tillman wasn't felled during an act of heroism -- his death was the result of "friendly fire" by men from his own company, shooting indiscriminately at an unknown target. Filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev examines Pat Tillman's unusual life and times, the facts about his death, how and why the military created a cover story to hide the truth, and his family's battle to bring the real story into the open in the documentary The Tillman Story, which received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: History [nf]

Awards: Film Presented – Sundance Film Festival Film Presented – Los Angeles Film Festival Film Presented – Silverdocs Film Festival Film Presented – Seattle International Film Festival Film Presented – Traverse City Film Festival Best Documentary – National Board of Review Film Presented – London Film Festival

Features: Director's commentary

Tillman Story

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/01/2011

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Alternate Wide Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 95 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Tillman Story
1. Chapter 1 [5:12]
2. Chapter 2 [4:43]
3. Chapter 3 [5:21]
4. Chapter 4 [4:07]
5. Chapter 5 [8:03]
6. Chapter 6 [7:45]
7. Chapter 7 [4:10]
8. Chapter 8 [7:04]
9. Chapter 9 [6:17]
10. Chapter 10 [5:04]
11. Chapter 11 [6:35]
12. Chapter 12 [4:55]
13. Chapter 13 [8:42]
14. Chapter 14 [4:54]
15. Chapter 15 [6:01]
16. Chapter 16 [6:06]

Josh Ralske

Amir Bar-Lev's The Tillman Story is a heartbreaking and profoundly troubling documentary filled with unanswered questions and hidden truths. Like his previous film, My Kid Could Paint That, The Tillman Story is about an investigation that, in the end, does not come to a satisfying conclusion. In this case, of course, the stakes are much higher. Pat Tillman served as a convenient symbol of American heroism and sacrifice in the wake of 9/11. For reasons he refused to make public, Tillman gave up a successful career in the NFL to join the military and fight in Afghanistan, alongside his brother Kevin. As the documentary shows, the national media loved this narrative, and when Tillman was killed in 2004, and initial reports stated that he had died while heroically rescuing his unit from a Taliban ambush, he became even more of an icon for his incredible sacrifice. Even when bits of the truth started to come out, indicating that Tillman was killed by friendly fire, all the questions raised by his needless death seemed overwhelmed by the more appealing and uncomplicated story of his heroism. Bar-Lev's film starts out with the narrative we all know, but then goes deeper into the story. While his investigation of what actually happened on the day Tillman was killed doesn't reach any solid conclusions (though there is little evidence to suggest that his unit was ever even ambushed by enemy fighters), the film looks beyond the simplistic facade of the "hero" that's been foisted on Pat Tillman, and gives the audience a deeper understanding of the complex man Tillman was. Footage of Pat's younger brother, Richard, at the memorial service, drinking a Guinness and rebuking celebrity eulogists like John McCain and Maria Shriver with a heartfelt, profanity-laced rant asking people to respect Pat's atheism, gives insight into both the essential falseness of the simplistic story we were told, and the resolve of Tillman's family to honor his memory. That resolve ends up manifesting itself in the dogged pursuit of the truth in the face of a mendacious bureaucracy by Pat's father, Pat Sr., and especially his mother, Mary "Dannie" Tillman. Bar-Lev presents us with a broad range of interesting interviewees, from family members to Pat's fellow soldiers, all of whom come across as complex personalities with their own motivation for seeing things the way they do. The filmmaker manages to restore the truth of Tillman's humanity, and to make a damning case that the military and government at the highest levels were complicit in covering up the cause of Tillman's death, so that it could be used to influence public opinion in their favor. While his investigation uncovers no significant factual clarification of how Tillman died, and while his document of the congressional hearings into the alleged cover-up end in frustration, Bar-Lev's film is still a substantial and critical document of post-9/11 America. The Tillman Story goes beyond showing how Tillman's narrative was twisted to achieve certain ends, and illustrates the eagerness of the American public to embrace a mythology rather than face the true horror of war. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

Cast and Crew: John Battsek  Producer 
Joe Bini  Screenwriter 
Molly Thompson  Executive Producer 
Mark Monroe  Screenwriter 
Amir Bar-Lev  Director 
Amir Bar-Lev  Screenwriter 
Andrew Ruhemann  Executive Producer 
Robert Sharenow  Executive Producer 
Michael Davies  Executive Producer 
Philip Sheppard  Composer (Music Score) 
Robert DeBitetto  Executive Producer 
Josh Brolin  Actor 
Dannie Tillman  Actor 
Richard Tillman  Actor 
Patrick Tillman, Sr.  Actor 
Mary Tillman  Actor 
Russell Baer  Actor 
Bryan O'Neal  Actor 
Philip Kensinger  Actor 
Jason Parsons  Actor 
Stan Goff  Actor 

Country: USA