I’ve never been
very good at sports, but it has more to do with my attitude than any lack of
physical abilities. As a child, I found myself only interested in competition
if it simultaneously involved the companionship of friends. My concerns were
always more aligned with the mentality of playing than they were in winning,
and that makes me less of a competitor than those with the die-hard athlete
attitudes. While I respect that the element of ambition and drive certainly has
a place in competitive sports, I have never had the attitude that winning is
the only point. Once winning becomes the only objective, there are no ideals or
morals which won’t be discarded in order to achieve this goal, and Lance
Armstrong has become the poster child for this mentality.
The Armstrong Lie examines the
competitive drive which caused Lance Armstrong to do whatever it took to win,
though the significance of these choices are enhanced by the first part of his
story. Long before there was any proof or evidence that Armstrong had cheated
during the races, he was an icon and hero for cancer survival. Despite having
never been a winner prior to his disease, Armstrong became a role model when he
survived testicular cancer and returned to racing a superstar. From this very
first win to the very last, it has been proven that Armstrong utilized illegal
methods to win, including steroids and blood transfusions.
Though it took
years to prove, Armstrong was eventually uncovered as a cheater in every one of
the races that he won, and in 2013 he was publicly disgraced and was stripped
of all seven Tour de France titles. The fact that he admitted his guilt in an
interview with Oprah did little for his celebrity, though he utilizes moral
relativism in the interviews for this film and still arrogantly defends his
actions. It seems that because many of the racers were taking steroids and
finding ways to cheat, Armstrong believed himself justified in his actions.
This arrogant hypocrisy is a glaring indicator of an ugly side effect of
celebrity entitlement and crass competitiveness.
The special
features include a commentary track with Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex
Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side), as
well as a Q&A which also includes Bill Strickland, Jonathan Vaughters,
Betsy Andreu and producer Frank Marshall. A few deleted scenes are also
included.
Entertainment Value:
7.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 8/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Disc Features: 6/10
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