Before seeing this documentary i had never heard of Pat Tillman. Tillman was the all American hero . A pro American football player who gave up his million dollar contract to fight for his country. The problem was that things are never always that simple in The United States.One day while out on patrol , Tillman and his group came under fire and he was shot in the head and killed. The family was that they had a fire fight with Afghan soldiers and that was how Pat had lost his life but it didn't take long to find out the the military were lying. Tillman had been killed by friendly fire.Lets face it it's no surprise that the military and the US government covered this up. They are both institutions that are rotten to the core. What is so amazing is how nonchalant these people are about this cover up and that the cover up went all the way to the top .The film has interviews with the family and his friends and it shows the amazing length this brave family went to get justice. It shows real footage of the memorial service for Tillman and the wonderfully honest speech his younger brother gave. If i had one criticism it would be that the documentary is not confrontational enough but i suppose when your dealing with corrupt weasels like Donald Rumsfeld you have to be a bit cautious.

Two posters here take issue with the film. One makes valid points about it's possibly worshipful treatment of Pat (did he have people who DIDN'T like him?) and one from a typical right wing nut job who questions weather Tillman's death was being used to promote the war. This is obviously true, and is shown in the film! Either way, this is a powerful and essential documentary, not to be missed. It's very hard to quibble with it's central conclusions, unless you live in a right wing fantasy like the second poster I mentioned. This film should be seen by every American. At some point the disaster of the post 9-11 years, what the Country did to itself, must be faced. And this is a good place to start.

Sitting down to write about the "The Tillman Story" makes me recall the same emotions that the movie evokes, and frustration is at the forefront.I want to start by writing about the premise, the story of an intelligent young man who was a successful football player, who ended up dying while fighting in war. But that is exactly what Pat Tillman, the late protagonist, wouldn't want. In addition, Pat Tillman was the only thing the country was talking about for several months in 2004.And then I want to extol the artistic merits of the story-telling in this movie, and how it carefully peels away at the truth behind his death. But ultimately the film-making qualities aren't what make this movie worth seeing.After that, I want to explain why "The Tillman Story" is simultaneously wonderful and terrible… wonderful in that it shines light on a shadow that deserves to be exposed, but terrible for how the viewer feels after seeing what was there. It is not the movie itself that is terrible, but instead how the story makes you feel after seeing it. But these descriptions are better left for the movie to tell."The Tillman Story" is worth seeing, and even more so if you are an American. It provides glimpses into the US military complex and it's mechanisms of self preservation. It details a family's experience with the death of one of their own. It will give you a mix of reactions and emotions, with no real final answer to the issues at stake. If you are looking for a light-hearted romp, or a documentary about the latest easy-going topic-du-jour, "The Tillman Story" isn't the right place to start. I rated this movie 5/5 stars because director Amir Bar-Lev succeeds on all counts .

How appalling and at the same time, how inspiring. Thank God for the Tillman's, even if God doesn't come in into their equation, their life is a model of integrity. Pat Tillman married his high school sweetheart. She was her first and only girlfriend. Always loyal to her as he was loyal to us, to his country, to his believes. Next to him, the government appears as a sleazy bunch, corroding our standards. Films like this make sure we keep our eyes open. The sobbing in the movie theater where I saw the film made me feel very American because we now know and knowledge is power. We won't let this horrors happen again. We can'TV allow it. The world is looking at us.