Alex Gibney (director)
Sony (studio)
15 (certificate)
123 min (length)
31 January 2014 (released)
24 January 2014
In 2009 Academy award winning documentary maker Alex Gibney was given exclusive access to make a film about Lance Armstrong’s comeback to the 2009 Tour De France. What should have been a feel good story was then shelved because of the soon to be undeniable accusations of doping. What Gibney has now done is to turn it into a compelling true crime caper that rivals any fictional thriller.
Lance Armstrong was one of those characters that comes along and is almost bigger than the sport that makes them their name. Armstrong similar in what Muhammad Ali did for boxing or Michael Jorden did for basketball. Most people couldn’t name a winner of the Tour De France before 1999 but from then on until his retirement in 2005 they all knew the name of Lance Armstrong. Lance Armstrong was the man that came back from the brink of death of testicular cancer to win the Tour De France an unprecedented seven times in a row. His story was inspiring, he raised millions for charity, he was the all American hero. The trouble was it was all a lie. Armstrong was dogged by claims of doping long after he retired but nothing was ever proved. It was his comeback in 2009 that was the catalyst for his downfall.
The accusations started again and this time they weren’t going away. They ended with Armstrong finally confessing all on the Oprah Winfrey show. With Armstrong’s own testimony and interviews with countless others including the doctor that made it all possible Gibney presents a film that explains how the biggest cover up in sport was carried out and the often extraordinary lengths that went into protecting it. At one point Armstrong explains how his team faked a crash so that they could all board the team bus to receive blood transfusions that gave them extra stamina. This while thousands of fans and press where just outside. It is the stuff of the highest drama, you are drawn into a world of cycling and doping and the politics of sport. Armstrong is a complex character and Gibney catches all facets of a man that wanted to win no matter what it took, the good and the bad. During this era nearly every cyclist has since been banned for doping. Armstrong was better at both the doping and the cover up. Now the true story is being told and it’s fascinating. Alex Gibney has directed some great documentary’s in the past but this is one of the best. Go see and enjoy- it’s a wild ride.
