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Special Features
Commentary with Director Amir Bar-Lev
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Pat Tillman gave up his multimillion-dollar NFL career to join the military and fight in Afghanistan, only to be killed in unclear circumstances. His death was seized upon by the Bush administration as a testimony to patriotism--so it was a jolt to Tillman's family when the official story was discredited and a harsher truth revealed. Most families, stunned by grief, would have let this go. The Tillman family didn't. The Tillman Story follows this dogged, determined, outspoken family as they fight to uncover what really happened and who was responsible for their son being twisted from a thoughtful young man to a one-dimensional political icon. The portrait of incompetence, error, and deceit that emerges will shock and disturb. Skillfully woven together from interviews and media footage, The Tillman Story draws suspense, anguish, and even bursts of dark but bracing humor from this tragedy. Pat Tillman, who never wanted his motivation for enlisting to be made public, comes through as unexpectedly complex, kind and insightful, brash and forthright, and deeply deserving of the devotion so clearly demonstrated by his family and friends. This documentary is riveting throughout, but the most crucial moment comes before a congressional hearing that exonerated Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and other top brass (all of whom claimed ignorance of an incriminating memo), when Mary Tillman--Pat's mother--makes a brave and heartbreaking statement. The Tillman Story is worth watching for this moment alone. --Bret Fetzer
Product Description
Pat Tillman gave up his professional football career to join the Army Rangers in 2002—and became an instant symbol of patriotic fervor and unflinching duty. But the truth about Pat Tillman is far more complex, and ultimately more heroic, than the caricature created by the media. And when the government tried to turn his death into war propaganda, they took on the wrong family. From her home in the Santa Cruz mountains, Pat’s mother, Dannie Tillman, led the family’s crusade to reveal the truth beneath the mythology of their son’s life and death. Featuring candid and revelatory interviews with Pat’s fellow soldiers as well as his family, Amir Bar-Lev’s emotional and insightful film not only shines a light on the shady aftermath of Pat’s death and calls to task the entire chain of command but also examines themes as timeless as the notion of heroism itself.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
61 of 69 people found the following review helpful
"The Tillman Story" is a powerful, hard-hitting documentary about the most famous enlistee in the U.S. armed forces following the Nine-Eleven attacks, Pat Tillman. He was a famous NFL football player. The Bush administration realized the publicity value of this celebrity. He and his brother enlisted together, and his reasons for signing up were really not made clear until this film. He and his brother served a term in Iraq and then went on for duty in Afghanistan. He was a bright, thoughtful young man who read some anti-war stuff by people like Noam Chomsky. He was killed in action in Afghhanistan and was awarded the Silver Star for heroism.
When he first died there was a great deal of ceremony regarding his heroic death. At one ceremony John McCain spoke. Then information began to leak out. His death was not by enemy fire but by friendly fire. This film was the first time I have ever heard such incidents referred to as fratricide. That's a very strong, loaded term.
In this film there are many interviews. Particularly effective are the ones by the mother, father and brother. The mother particularly demanded the truth and she was persistent and systematic in her pursuit of the truth. The military amd the highest levels of government were in on the lie about Pat's death. They knew that the cause was not enemy fire.
The mother at first believed that in the heat of battle, Pat's fellow soldiers shot indiscriminately out of fear and because they felt in great danger. The government investigated the case and reluctantly provided the family with a box of thousands of pages of evidentiary documents. One observer said they hoped to swamp the family with paper work which incidentally had all names redacted. The mother learned that Pat's fellow soldiers might have fired because they wanted to be in the action, to experience the exhilaration of combat.
The father was a lawyer who knew how to sift through the material. Eventually all of the family pressure resulted in a Congressional hearing where the top generals and former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld appeared. All of them denied knowledge and culpability. The administration had used Pat's death as a propaganda tool to boost the public's faith in the war effort.
This film is devastating in its revelations and has an important message for everyone. Nations often manipulate the news for their own purposes. Pat Tillman is still a hero and great patriot, and his family are also heroes and patriots.
When he first died there was a great deal of ceremony regarding his heroic death. At one ceremony John McCain spoke. Then information began to leak out. His death was not by enemy fire but by friendly fire. This film was the first time I have ever heard such incidents referred to as fratricide. That's a very strong, loaded term.
In this film there are many interviews. Particularly effective are the ones by the mother, father and brother. The mother particularly demanded the truth and she was persistent and systematic in her pursuit of the truth. The military amd the highest levels of government were in on the lie about Pat's death. They knew that the cause was not enemy fire.
The mother at first believed that in the heat of battle, Pat's fellow soldiers shot indiscriminately out of fear and because they felt in great danger. The government investigated the case and reluctantly provided the family with a box of thousands of pages of evidentiary documents. One observer said they hoped to swamp the family with paper work which incidentally had all names redacted. The mother learned that Pat's fellow soldiers might have fired because they wanted to be in the action, to experience the exhilaration of combat.
The father was a lawyer who knew how to sift through the material. Eventually all of the family pressure resulted in a Congressional hearing where the top generals and former Defense Secretary Rumsfeld appeared. All of them denied knowledge and culpability. The administration had used Pat's death as a propaganda tool to boost the public's faith in the war effort.
This film is devastating in its revelations and has an important message for everyone. Nations often manipulate the news for their own purposes. Pat Tillman is still a hero and great patriot, and his family are also heroes and patriots.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By E. Burns
Format:DVD
This fascinating documentary depicts Pat Tillman as a successful, likable, down to earth freethinker who gave up his success in the NFL to join the US military. Whatever motivated him to enlist was quickly shattered when he got to Iraq. As he witnessed bombs destroy an Iraqi city he declared the war an illegal one. The US military hailed his enlistment & subsequent death in heroic detail, undoubtedly encouraging many young men to enlist.
This documentary is excellent because it shatters the romanticism of war with a real story of an honorable man & family who were manipulated to promote war propaganda. You can't help but empathize with the Tillman family for their loss & betrayal. The military's upper ranks messed with a strong mother & the wrong family. The Tillman family did as much as they could to hold whoever ordered the cover up accountable, and alas, no real punishment was handed out. It shows the raw reality of war & unaccountability of the military's top brass. All they had to do was "not recall" when they received a top secret memo. Convenient defense! Watch this movie then talk about it & show it to your friends. It's an important story that begs discussion & illumination. Rest in peace Pat Tillman.
This documentary is excellent because it shatters the romanticism of war with a real story of an honorable man & family who were manipulated to promote war propaganda. You can't help but empathize with the Tillman family for their loss & betrayal. The military's upper ranks messed with a strong mother & the wrong family. The Tillman family did as much as they could to hold whoever ordered the cover up accountable, and alas, no real punishment was handed out. It shows the raw reality of war & unaccountability of the military's top brass. All they had to do was "not recall" when they received a top secret memo. Convenient defense! Watch this movie then talk about it & show it to your friends. It's an important story that begs discussion & illumination. Rest in peace Pat Tillman.
26 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By Guy Montag
Format:DVD
Amir Bar-Lev's film "The Tillman Story" contributes to the restoration of Pat Tillman's legacy by honoring the man, not the myth. The iconoclast, not the icon. As his mother said, "Pat would have wanted to be remembered as an individual, not as a stock figure or political prop. Pat was a real hero, not what they used him as."
Amir Bar-Lev, the film's director, tells three stories that interweave together throughout his film: a biography of Pat Tillman (growing up, playing in the NFL, joining the Army Rangers with his brother Kevin after 9/11), how he was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 and his friendly-fire death covered up by the Army, and his family's battle to learn the truth after smokescreens were thrown in their face by the highest levels of the Army and government (both Republicans and Democrats).
"The Tillman Story" is an apt title. The film follows the outline of Mary Tillman's memoir "Boots on the Ground by Dusk," many of the interviews are with members of the Tillman family (mother, father, brother, and wife) and the film is centered around their experiences in the aftermath of Pat Tillman's death. The Tillman's are a loyal, close-knit family that displays much more honor and integrity than their country's leadership.
The film uses nicely selected & edited news clips and interviews that portray an iconoclastic Pat Tillman not widely known to the public - a fiercely independent thinker, an avid reader, and critic of the Iraq war ("...this war is so ----ing illegal"). Pat was a remarkable man who was driven by a core of honesty and integrity, led by personal example, and lived his life intensely.
See the film. Nearly everything most people think they know about Pat Tillman, his family, and the story is wrong. And the film has more humor and laughs than you would expect, especially if you don't mind a few f-bombs; the original title of the film was "I'm Pat ----ing Tillman!" which fits better in some respects: those were Pat Tillman's last words, the Tillman family drops F-bombs where appropriate (or not) and it suggests that Pat Tillman was more complex than his iconic image. The beginning and end of the film, with Pat just looking at the camera was especially poignant for me.
In 2005, I was angered that the truth about Pat's life and death had been buried by the media and government. Tillman was enshrined as an icon while the man fell by the wayside, his family used as props at his funeral for war propaganda. Pat's family still don't have the meager consolation of knowing the full truth about his death. "The truth may be painful, but it's the truth," his mother said. "If you feel you're being lied to, you can never put it to rest."
I hope the Oscar judges are also moved by "The Tillman Story". It would be great if the film was awarded Best Documentary (or at least placed in the final five on 1/25/11). Except for "Restrepo", I haven't yet seen the other Oscar contenders. Perhaps "The Tillman Story" is not technically the "best" documentary of the bunch, but I believe it tells the best, most compelling story.
"The Tillman Story" documentary is a good introduction to the Pat Tillman story. However, the director Amir Bar-Lev tried to cover a lot of ground in only 94 minutes (he cut the film down from 2 1/2 hours). At times the film rushes through the material passing over the details (especially concerning the cover-up of Tillman's friendly-fire death.
To fill in the details, I'd suggest starting with Gary Smith's profile "Remember His Name" (si.com 9-11-06), Mike Fish's "An Un-American Tragedy" series (2006 espn.com), and the most recent profile by Mick Brown "Betrayal of an All-American Hero" (The Telegraph 10-07-10).
For books, I'd suggest Mary Tillman's memoir "Boots on the Ground by Dusk" (blurb website has a preview) which the film was largely based upon, or Jon Krakauer's "Where Men Win Glory" (revised paperback has more on Army cover-up). But, although Krakuaer has the best account of the actual friendly-fire incident and the Army's cover-up, his book is a flawed work since Krakauer lost the trust and cooperation of the Tillman family (except for Marie) and failed to describe how President Obama and the Democratic Congress continued the Bush administration & Army cover-up.
For blogs, try John T. Reed's Tillman posts (see his "military articles" at johntreed website) and "The [Untold] Tillman Story" at the feralfirefighter blog.
. . .
Amir Bar-Lev: "... when I've shown the film to left-wing audiences. Their takeaway is, `what a horrible [Bush] administration we just had!' I think that's letting yourself off the hook, as if there were just a handful of bad apples, and `thank God they're gone.'"
Shortly after Sundance, Bar-Lev emailed me that "he was pretty hard on the Democratic Congress in his film." True, his film does portray Congressman Henry Waxman's Oversight Committee as ineptly failing to get answers from the top military leadership during their hearing.
However, the film missed telling the "untold story" that President Obama and the Democratic Congress continued the Bush & Army cover-up by shielding Gen. Stanley McChrystal (and other officers) from scrutiny of his central role in the cover-up of Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death. This cover-up was a thoroughly bi-partisan affair. It wasn't just a case of the Bush administration and the Army stonewalling the Democratic Congress. Congress didn't just "fumble" the ball, they threw the game.
It's not surprising that after their initial cover-up of Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death fell apart, Army officers and the Bush administration lied to protect themselves. But after they took control of Congress in 2006, the Democrats (including Senator Carl Levin, Senator James Webb, and Congressman Henry Waxman) could have gone after those responsible. Or at least not promoted them!
Just before the 2006 mid-term elections, Kevin Tillman published his eloquent letter, "After Pat's Birthday" at truthdig.com:
"Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few "bad apples" in the military."
"Somehow torture is tolerated. ... Somehow lying is tolerated. ... Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated. ... Somehow a narrative is more important than reality."
"Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground. ... Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country. Somehow this is tolerated. Somehow nobody is accountable for this."
Kevin had hoped a Democratic Congress would bring accountability back to our country. But, just as with warrant-less wiretapping and torture, those responsible for the cover-up of his brother's friendly-fire death have never been held accountable for their actions.
. . .
Amir Bar-Lev: "You don't make these films to show your friends and family. You make them to have an impact. Screening the film there was part of a larger strategy to return Pat to his family and to restore the legacy Pat would have wanted."
Last July, I sent Amir Bar-Lev a letter arguing his film would have greater "impact" if he also told the "untold story" of the complicity of President Obama and the Democratic Congress in continuing the Bush administration & Army cover-up of Tillman's friendly-fire death up through Gen. McChrystal's June 2009 Senate confirmation. But, he didn't update his film.
Consequently, "The Tillman Story" was ignored by the news media since it didn't reveal any "news" about the Tillman story. The film simply wasn't very controversial. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who supervised much of the Army's cover-up and directed the writing of the fraudulent Silver Star (with fabricated witness statements), was barely a footnote. And, the film failed to show how President Obama and Democratic Congress continued the Bush administration and Army cover-up to protect Gen. McChrystal (among others). Largely because of a lack of publicity & controversy, the film had a peak showing at only 28 theaters (with a gross of only $800,000).
Hopefully, Amir Bar-Lev added extra features to his DVD that tell at least some of the "untold" story described in "The [Untold] Tillman Story" at the feralfirefighter blog(including parallels to Yoni Netanyahu who died at Entebbe in 1976 and Rachel Corrie who Pat Tillman called "my hero").
Amir Bar-Lev, the film's director, tells three stories that interweave together throughout his film: a biography of Pat Tillman (growing up, playing in the NFL, joining the Army Rangers with his brother Kevin after 9/11), how he was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 and his friendly-fire death covered up by the Army, and his family's battle to learn the truth after smokescreens were thrown in their face by the highest levels of the Army and government (both Republicans and Democrats).
"The Tillman Story" is an apt title. The film follows the outline of Mary Tillman's memoir "Boots on the Ground by Dusk," many of the interviews are with members of the Tillman family (mother, father, brother, and wife) and the film is centered around their experiences in the aftermath of Pat Tillman's death. The Tillman's are a loyal, close-knit family that displays much more honor and integrity than their country's leadership.
The film uses nicely selected & edited news clips and interviews that portray an iconoclastic Pat Tillman not widely known to the public - a fiercely independent thinker, an avid reader, and critic of the Iraq war ("...this war is so ----ing illegal"). Pat was a remarkable man who was driven by a core of honesty and integrity, led by personal example, and lived his life intensely.
See the film. Nearly everything most people think they know about Pat Tillman, his family, and the story is wrong. And the film has more humor and laughs than you would expect, especially if you don't mind a few f-bombs; the original title of the film was "I'm Pat ----ing Tillman!" which fits better in some respects: those were Pat Tillman's last words, the Tillman family drops F-bombs where appropriate (or not) and it suggests that Pat Tillman was more complex than his iconic image. The beginning and end of the film, with Pat just looking at the camera was especially poignant for me.
In 2005, I was angered that the truth about Pat's life and death had been buried by the media and government. Tillman was enshrined as an icon while the man fell by the wayside, his family used as props at his funeral for war propaganda. Pat's family still don't have the meager consolation of knowing the full truth about his death. "The truth may be painful, but it's the truth," his mother said. "If you feel you're being lied to, you can never put it to rest."
I hope the Oscar judges are also moved by "The Tillman Story". It would be great if the film was awarded Best Documentary (or at least placed in the final five on 1/25/11). Except for "Restrepo", I haven't yet seen the other Oscar contenders. Perhaps "The Tillman Story" is not technically the "best" documentary of the bunch, but I believe it tells the best, most compelling story.
"The Tillman Story" documentary is a good introduction to the Pat Tillman story. However, the director Amir Bar-Lev tried to cover a lot of ground in only 94 minutes (he cut the film down from 2 1/2 hours). At times the film rushes through the material passing over the details (especially concerning the cover-up of Tillman's friendly-fire death.
To fill in the details, I'd suggest starting with Gary Smith's profile "Remember His Name" (si.com 9-11-06), Mike Fish's "An Un-American Tragedy" series (2006 espn.com), and the most recent profile by Mick Brown "Betrayal of an All-American Hero" (The Telegraph 10-07-10).
For books, I'd suggest Mary Tillman's memoir "Boots on the Ground by Dusk" (blurb website has a preview) which the film was largely based upon, or Jon Krakauer's "Where Men Win Glory" (revised paperback has more on Army cover-up). But, although Krakuaer has the best account of the actual friendly-fire incident and the Army's cover-up, his book is a flawed work since Krakauer lost the trust and cooperation of the Tillman family (except for Marie) and failed to describe how President Obama and the Democratic Congress continued the Bush administration & Army cover-up.
For blogs, try John T. Reed's Tillman posts (see his "military articles" at johntreed website) and "The [Untold] Tillman Story" at the feralfirefighter blog.
. . .
Amir Bar-Lev: "... when I've shown the film to left-wing audiences. Their takeaway is, `what a horrible [Bush] administration we just had!' I think that's letting yourself off the hook, as if there were just a handful of bad apples, and `thank God they're gone.'"
Shortly after Sundance, Bar-Lev emailed me that "he was pretty hard on the Democratic Congress in his film." True, his film does portray Congressman Henry Waxman's Oversight Committee as ineptly failing to get answers from the top military leadership during their hearing.
However, the film missed telling the "untold story" that President Obama and the Democratic Congress continued the Bush & Army cover-up by shielding Gen. Stanley McChrystal (and other officers) from scrutiny of his central role in the cover-up of Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death. This cover-up was a thoroughly bi-partisan affair. It wasn't just a case of the Bush administration and the Army stonewalling the Democratic Congress. Congress didn't just "fumble" the ball, they threw the game.
It's not surprising that after their initial cover-up of Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death fell apart, Army officers and the Bush administration lied to protect themselves. But after they took control of Congress in 2006, the Democrats (including Senator Carl Levin, Senator James Webb, and Congressman Henry Waxman) could have gone after those responsible. Or at least not promoted them!
Just before the 2006 mid-term elections, Kevin Tillman published his eloquent letter, "After Pat's Birthday" at truthdig.com:
"Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few "bad apples" in the military."
"Somehow torture is tolerated. ... Somehow lying is tolerated. ... Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated. ... Somehow a narrative is more important than reality."
"Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground. ... Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country. Somehow this is tolerated. Somehow nobody is accountable for this."
Kevin had hoped a Democratic Congress would bring accountability back to our country. But, just as with warrant-less wiretapping and torture, those responsible for the cover-up of his brother's friendly-fire death have never been held accountable for their actions.
. . .
Amir Bar-Lev: "You don't make these films to show your friends and family. You make them to have an impact. Screening the film there was part of a larger strategy to return Pat to his family and to restore the legacy Pat would have wanted."
Last July, I sent Amir Bar-Lev a letter arguing his film would have greater "impact" if he also told the "untold story" of the complicity of President Obama and the Democratic Congress in continuing the Bush administration & Army cover-up of Tillman's friendly-fire death up through Gen. McChrystal's June 2009 Senate confirmation. But, he didn't update his film.
Consequently, "The Tillman Story" was ignored by the news media since it didn't reveal any "news" about the Tillman story. The film simply wasn't very controversial. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who supervised much of the Army's cover-up and directed the writing of the fraudulent Silver Star (with fabricated witness statements), was barely a footnote. And, the film failed to show how President Obama and Democratic Congress continued the Bush administration and Army cover-up to protect Gen. McChrystal (among others). Largely because of a lack of publicity & controversy, the film had a peak showing at only 28 theaters (with a gross of only $800,000).
Hopefully, Amir Bar-Lev added extra features to his DVD that tell at least some of the "untold" story described in "The [Untold] Tillman Story" at the feralfirefighter blog(including parallels to Yoni Netanyahu who died at Entebbe in 1976 and Rachel Corrie who Pat Tillman called "my hero").
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Heartbreaking
The story of Pat Tillman reads like a movie script. Star football player gives up a career and millions of dollars to enlist in the military after the events of 9-11. Read more
Published 21 days ago by Margo J. Forrest
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not a movie
I received the DVD very quickly however i was disappointed the story I thought was going to be a movie not a documentary. It was still interesting.
Published 26 days ago by lynn charlon
5.0 out of 5 stars
american hero
if more people we like pat tillman this world would be a way way way better place to live in
Published 1 month ago by Meredith Rado
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very revealing!
Great work on the documentary! I thought it took the cover off of the given story about Pat Tillman. Hope you can handle the truth!
Published 4 months ago by JoebobWV
4.0 out of 5 stars
Saddening, Revealing, Outragous, Above All Inspirational
I thought I knew this story already, that Pat Tillman was kind of used as a recruiting/propaganda tool, and that later it was revealed he hadn't died as the military had claimed,... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Wearing the Crimson Mask
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty good. Not great.
This documentary is about the Pat Tillman, his history, and his family's quest to find the truth. It is an interesting story. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Jerome
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tillman
Excellent quality. I would order again. Ordered as a gift for a friend. I had to pre place my order and they let me know when it was in stock. I would def. Read more
Published 9 months ago by set
5.0 out of 5 stars
War...
"Patriotism is the conviction that your country is superior to all others because you were born in it." George Bernard Shaw. Read more
Published 11 months ago by NYFB
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sad story
After seeing this documentary, I have admiration for the Tillman family both in how clear they are about what values are important to them personally, but also their courage and... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Timegoesby
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid
THE TILLMAN STORY is a good solid 2010 documentary, directed by veteran documentary maker Amir Bar-Lev and narrated by Josh Brolin, about Patrick ("Pat") Tillman, star college... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Allen Smalling
