Director: Alex Gibney
UK Release Date: 31st January 2014
Running Time: 124 minutes
Starring: Lance Amrstrong, Betsy Andreu, Frankie Andreu, George Hincapie, Michele Ferrari, Danny Coyle
Before the release of "The Armstrong Lie" we posted a preview which you can read here.
"The Armstrong Lie" is a documentary film directed by Alex Gibney, telling the story of Lance Armstrong, the now disgraced American cyclist. Armstrong became the first cyclist ever to win 7 consecutive Tour de France titles between 1998-2005 (one of which we witnessed ourselves). After his 7th win he retired but made a comeback in 2009 which is where Gibney's documentary begins. Initially Gibney's documentary was going to be about Armstrong's comeback but then doping allegations resurfaced and Armstrong eventually admitted using performance enhancing drugs. Having lied directly to his face Gibney demanded a final interview with Armstrong and the documentary then changed to "The Armstrong Lie".
Most people will know who Armstrong is having become a global sports superstar and the most known cancer survivor around the world after setting up the Livestrong Foundation. They will also know of his association with performance enhancing drugs after publicly denying the use of them year after year. It is this lie that most people can not forgive Armstrong for and this is at the center of the documentary.
The documentary itself gives a great detailed insight into Armstrong now. Yes, it has lots of the past; what was said, what he said, who he attacked, who he bullied but the importance for us was what is going on now and what has happened more recently. We were interested to see if Amrstrong has changed at all, whether he feels remorse for what he has done. This documentary was perfect for this, and gives us the insight we desire but not just from Armstrong - from others involved and who have followed the story since his career began.
Gibney has directed "The Amrstrong Lie" so it is like the usual documentary and this is not a problem. It lets the audience get the information they ultimately want rather than trying to tell the story in a more unique way. It comes to the conclusion that Amrstrong was the major trickster/deciver and would do anything at any cost not to lose. However, it is evident that Armstrog's fans would willingly believe anything he said.
Whether this is the last of Lance Armstrong and cycling is yet to be decided. He still remains very confident and at times smug which we found difficult to watch considering the negative affect he has had on cycling as a sport. It is difficult to say whether there is more to this story that is yet to come out yet but with how things have gone in the past, we would not be surprised if there was more to come.
Whether this is the last of Lance Armstrong and cycling is yet to be decided. He still remains very confident and at times smug which we found difficult to watch considering the negative affect he has had on cycling as a sport. It is difficult to say whether there is more to this story that is yet to come out yet but with how things have gone in the past, we would not be surprised if there was more to come.
The documentary is a really interesting one to watch and we recommend it for any sports fan or anyone who knows the story of Lance Armstrong. It will give you the chance to see him in a different light but beware, it may not be what you want to see. He still comes across as cocky and very arrogant and with the final clip of the film, we are certainly not convinvced this whole ordeal has changed him at all. This was disapointing from our point of view but obviously this does not change how good the documentary is or how it is put together.
M+F Rating: 7/10
Reviewed by M+F Reviews.
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