by Fred Topel
Pat Tillman was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals. In 2002, instead of renewing his NFL contract, he decided to enlist in the Army. As a Ranger, he served tours in Afghanistan, where he was killed in 2004. Early reports said he died taking enemy fire, but further investigation showed that it was actually a friendly fire incident. This would simply be a tragedy if the facts came out. But the military tried to spin a different story which resulted in a now exposed cover-up.
The Tillman Story is a documentary that shows what we were told about Pat Tillman, what actually happened to Pat Tillman, and why the government lied. Director Amir Bar-Lev follows Danni Tillman, Pat’s mom, and Kevin Tillman, his brother who also enlisted, as they piece together the truth and bring it to light.
Clarifying information contained in redacted documents, they attempt to assert that Pat was not the gung ho military icon the public was led to believe. He was actually a very private person and serving in the Army was just a choice he wanted to make.
Beyond the Tillmans, Bar-Lev speaks to others in the military who knew Tillman or were involved directly. Some suggest that the military myth was intended to bolster an image that soldiers are wise, mature warriors – instead of simply 19-year-old youths who can make mistakes. The film also addresses the Jessica Lynch story, which was similarly twisted by the military. For those that don’t recall, a camera crew joined the rescue of PFC Lynch and Pentagon officials embellished the extent of her injuries to create the impression of a larger than life female war hero.
The week of the film’s Los Angeles opening, Bar-Lev sat in the conference room at The Weinstein Company offices as journalists rotated in to discuss the film. Exposing the cover-up only leads to more questions. Bar-Lev, whose previous film My Kid Could Paint That chronicled a child artist, was enthusiastic to address the further developments of The Tillman Story post-film.
Read our interview with Amir Bar-Lev on SuicideGirls.com.
