The Armstrong Lie
3.5/4
Narrated by Alex Gibney
It's easy to see why Lance Armstrong was so easy to root for. In addition to setting records after a cancer battle that nearly claimed his life, he's handsome and charming with an easy smile. He's the perfect protagonist for a real life fairy tale. But watching Alex Gibney's documentary, "The Armstrong Lie," I saw another side to that face. With his penetrating stare and cold, gray eyes, I saw someone who was ruthless, vindictive and dangerous. This is not a man to be trifled with.
Everyone knows the story about Lance Armstrong. Gibney doesn't dwell on it very much because of this. What Gibney concentrates on is what went on behind the scenes. Armstrong's career was far from the fairy tale that we believed, or as Gibney puts it, wanted to believe. It was a fight to survive in a culture that was rotten to the core. And one that Armstrong found himself in a perfect position to take advantage of.
You see, everyone knew he was doping. But the fairy tale that people believed was his life was bringing too much money to risk destroying what little press the Tour de France received. He wasn't the only one. Doping was so common that he and others rationalized that that was what it took to win. Today, Armstrong admits that it was wrong to do it, but had no crisis of conscience about doing it then, or taking advice from a shady scientists in order to gain the extra edge.
For the most part Gibney uses his no-nonsense approach to documentaries that won him an Oscar for the searing and disturbing "Taxi to the Dark Side." There are some moments that are quite confusing (particularly when going over the beginning of Armstrong's career), but it's a fascinating portrait of a deeply flawed and controversial individual.
The question that remains is how Armstrong was able to fool everyone. Gibney and his interviewees, including Armstrong himself (who is surprisingly candid), offer their own theories, but the filmmaker wisely doesn't give a definitive answer. Armstrong had a tremendous amount of drive to win, and he would do anything to do so. And once he had it, he would do anything to keep it, including betraying his friends, ruining careers and sue his enemies. Armstrong was the lead in a fairy-tale, and he simply played the part.
"The Armstrong Lie" has something that few documentaries have: involvement. Originally, this was going to be an inspirational documentary about Lance Armstrong's comeback. But during filming, which occurred over four years, Armstrong was finally caught in his lies and had no choice but to come clean. Gibney went back recorded new interviews and allowed him to put a new perspective on the events that he observed. "The Road Back," which was the original title, became "The Armstrong Lie." Few other documentaries can boast such a claim (the only one I can think of is "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" about the West Memphis Three).
There are a lot of people who are wary about documentaries, particularly because of the pontificating that Michael Moore does. Plus, a lot of the mediocre ones like "The Brandon Teena Story" are dreadfully boring. But Alex Gibney knows what he's doing behind a camera. "The Armstrong Lie" has as much power and involvement as some of the best narrative films. Particularly because it's about such a timely and fascinating event, this is a must see.
Narrated by Alex Gibney
It's easy to see why Lance Armstrong was so easy to root for. In addition to setting records after a cancer battle that nearly claimed his life, he's handsome and charming with an easy smile. He's the perfect protagonist for a real life fairy tale. But watching Alex Gibney's documentary, "The Armstrong Lie," I saw another side to that face. With his penetrating stare and cold, gray eyes, I saw someone who was ruthless, vindictive and dangerous. This is not a man to be trifled with.
Everyone knows the story about Lance Armstrong. Gibney doesn't dwell on it very much because of this. What Gibney concentrates on is what went on behind the scenes. Armstrong's career was far from the fairy tale that we believed, or as Gibney puts it, wanted to believe. It was a fight to survive in a culture that was rotten to the core. And one that Armstrong found himself in a perfect position to take advantage of.
You see, everyone knew he was doping. But the fairy tale that people believed was his life was bringing too much money to risk destroying what little press the Tour de France received. He wasn't the only one. Doping was so common that he and others rationalized that that was what it took to win. Today, Armstrong admits that it was wrong to do it, but had no crisis of conscience about doing it then, or taking advice from a shady scientists in order to gain the extra edge.
For the most part Gibney uses his no-nonsense approach to documentaries that won him an Oscar for the searing and disturbing "Taxi to the Dark Side." There are some moments that are quite confusing (particularly when going over the beginning of Armstrong's career), but it's a fascinating portrait of a deeply flawed and controversial individual.
The question that remains is how Armstrong was able to fool everyone. Gibney and his interviewees, including Armstrong himself (who is surprisingly candid), offer their own theories, but the filmmaker wisely doesn't give a definitive answer. Armstrong had a tremendous amount of drive to win, and he would do anything to do so. And once he had it, he would do anything to keep it, including betraying his friends, ruining careers and sue his enemies. Armstrong was the lead in a fairy-tale, and he simply played the part.
"The Armstrong Lie" has something that few documentaries have: involvement. Originally, this was going to be an inspirational documentary about Lance Armstrong's comeback. But during filming, which occurred over four years, Armstrong was finally caught in his lies and had no choice but to come clean. Gibney went back recorded new interviews and allowed him to put a new perspective on the events that he observed. "The Road Back," which was the original title, became "The Armstrong Lie." Few other documentaries can boast such a claim (the only one I can think of is "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" about the West Memphis Three).
There are a lot of people who are wary about documentaries, particularly because of the pontificating that Michael Moore does. Plus, a lot of the mediocre ones like "The Brandon Teena Story" are dreadfully boring. But Alex Gibney knows what he's doing behind a camera. "The Armstrong Lie" has as much power and involvement as some of the best narrative films. Particularly because it's about such a timely and fascinating event, this is a must see.
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