The Tillman Story

Pat Tillman decided to leave a multimillion-dollar professional football contract and join the military because he felt it was the right thing to do. When he died in a friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004, the military is shown to have manipulated his tragic death in the line of duty into a glorifying propaganda tool.

“In this funny, profane and profoundly sad film, Bar-Lev depicts Tillman and his similarly unconventional parents and brothers as Americans who hew to no ideological standard, and who actually think for themselves.” (Andrew O’Hehir, Salon)

“Intensely dramatic, filled with elevated heroism, crass self-interest and blatant stupidity, it's a paradigmatic narrative of our tendentious, turbulent times.” (Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times)

“The Tillman Story is ferocious filmmaking, but it wouldn't have half the force it does if the director didn't also get at the complicated man Pat Tillman was.” (Bob Mondello, NPR)

“[Exposes] a system of arrogance and duplicity that no WikiLeak could ever fully capture.” (Melissa Anderson, Village Voice)