Director: Alex Gibney.
Starring: Lance Armstrong, Oprah Winfrey, Frankie Andreu.
Running Time: 122 minutes.
Certificate: TBA.
Synopsis: What was initially meant to be a comeback story of Lance Armstrong, an American sports hero, ended up being a confession of doping and a desperate attempt at justification of cheating actions.
Lance Armstrong, the man who fought cancer from the deathbed, then trained like a mad person and won seven Tour de France titles is the main subject of this documentary, excessively scrutinised in the media over the past year due to his final confession of doping. Armstrong approached well known documentary director Alex Gibney to make a film following his supposedly brave comeback in 2009 after four years off the bike. However, halfway through making the documentary the doping scandal blew up resulting in a break in filming.
After the famous Oprah interview at the beginning of this year where Armstrong sat down and for the first time admitted to being a cheat after stubbornly denying all allegations, he asked to have his documentary with Gibney finished so that he could tell his side of the story. The resulting documentary is an incredibly fascinating and mind-blowing one, with tales of blood transfusions, corruption in the International Cycling Union and EPO (erythropoietin), ruined lives and endless backstabbing.
The documentary is brilliantly put together using old footage of Armstrong when he was still unknown and referred to as ‘the American cyclist’. However, no matter how much Armstrong insists upon it, there is no other side to the story. He admits he doesn’t care how he won; all that matters is that he did. In his delusional mind, he evened out the playing field, and not only does he attempt to justify his actions, but he shows no remorse, regret or shame.
Gibney shows no mercy towards Lance Armstrong. This is not a documentary where attempts are made to sanctify Armstrong’s efforts, but instead a light is shed on more than simply his doping. It shows Lance Armstrong’s history of violence, his aggression, lack of consideration to teammates and their families, and his complete arrogance. He comes across as vile, obnoxious, a cheat, rude, merciless, stupid and a liar. But, he is also the man who fought cancer, jumped upon the saddle and raised $300 million for cancer survivors through Nike’s Livestrong campaign.
THE ARMSTRONG LIE refers to more than just the golden boy of the cycling world, uncovering the harsh realities of the sports world and the corruption and competitiveness which can ruin lives. The unravelling of doping techniques, issues between nationalities and catty drama between Armstrong and the spouse of a teammate contribute to the perfection which this documentary could have reached. However, Gibney’s insistence on making THE ARMSTRONG LIE about his own coming to terms with the Armstrong deceit and taking the situation far too personally by resisting the urge to simply be an observer turn his documentary into an overly accusatory one.
THE ARMSTRONG LIE premieres in the US on October 12th and is showing at LFF on October 16th and 17th. Click here for the rest of our coverage from LFF.
