The Armstrong Lie (2013)

A documentary chronicling sports legend Lance Armstrong's improbable rise and ultimate fall from grace.

Director:

Alex Gibney

Writer:

Alex Gibney

Stars:

Lance Armstrong, Reed Albergotti, Betsy Andreu

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Reed Albergotti	...	Himself
Betsy Andreu	...	Herself
Frankie Andreu	...	Himself
Lance Armstrong	...	Himself
Johan Bruyneel	...	Himself
Daniel Coyle	...	Himself
Michele Ferrari	...	Himself
George Hincapie	...	Himself
Phil Liggett	...	Himself
Steve Madden	...	Himself
Bill Strickland	...	Himself
Jonathan Vaughters	...	Himself
Emile Vrijman	...	Himself
David Walsh	...	Himself

Storyline

A documentary chronicling sports legend Lance Armstrong's improbable rise and ultimate fall from grace.

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Plot Keywords:

lance armstrong | training | disappointment | defeat | rivalry | 

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Taglines:

On October 22, 2012 Lance Armstrong was stripped of the 7 Tour de France titles he won from 1999-2005.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 November 2013 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Lance Armstrong: The Road Back

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$28,992 (USA) (8 November 2013)

Gross:

$381,703 (USA) (14 February 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jigsaw Productions, Kennedy/Marshall Company, The, Matt Tolmach Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmmaker Alex Gibney followed Lance Armstrong for four years with the intent of chronicling his return to cycling after retirement as Armstrong tried to win his eighth Tour de France. Unexpectedly, Gibney was also there when Armstrong admitted to doping, which resulted in the film being retitled from "The Road Back" to "The Armstrong Lie."

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2013 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Cumin Atcha Live
Written by Frank Hannon, Jeff Keith and Brian Wheat
Performed by Tesla

User Reviews

A disturbing journey through the mind

I think, at least for many of the reviews posted here, that this movie is being misunderstood. Mostly, the negative reviews focus on deconstructing the theories that this movie puts forth, which totally misses the point.

I found this whole movie extremely disturbing. It's a masterpiece in terms of execution, cutting and sound. On it's own, it's a strangely unique sports-doc that will, if you surrender to the feeling, have great potential to move something within you.

In connection with the movie's subject, Lance Armstrong, it gets even more weird. People present their theory about the movie and its meaning, leaving behind a strangely vague sense of mystery to these people and their offbeat theoriums. This is something the movie does very well - it constantly forces you to create theories, cuing you into considering everything it puts forth and creating an imaginative image of the people behind the faces and tying the pieces of their stories together.

Next, there is the cutting. Images, special effects and clips from old bike races dominate the screen, side by side with clips of Lance Armstrong. There is a strange, unexplained relation between the theories about Lance Armstrong and the old footage, to Lance Armstrong himself. Special effects are utilized mostly to explain the rather complicated points of the interviewees, and a haunting, mostly electronic soundtrack creates a sense of unrest that permeates the entire movie.

None of these elements function on their own, but together they create the perfect atmosphere for the presentation of these theories.

What you must ask yourself before viewing this film is: can you surrender to the feeling of a film without necessarily finding the material entirely plausible? If so, I think the movie will convince you and it will be a haunting experience. Don't watch it if you're just looking for theories about Lance Armstrong's criminal deceptions - this movie is not an academic analysis of the laws of biking, it is an elevation of simple theories into a profoundly disturbing feeling; it is a journey through the mind of obsessive fans that leaves you understanding their passion, and with a sense of dread that I have don't have the adequate words to describe.

And this, not having words to describe a particular emotion, sense or... sensation, whether good or bad, is exactly what a good art film should do to your mind. There is the sense that something "clicked", that something was learned, that something moved. If it does not have the same effect on you, too bad - but it's certainly worth a shot if you haven't seen it!