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Best movie of this year hands down!

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

disgusting, overrated, pointless

As Good As It Gets

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.

Quite extraordinary documentary dealing with the emotional and intellectual issues around Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan and subsequent Army cover-up. A film of insight, humanity, and righteous anger, but it never feels manipulative of the people or facts involved. Like Tillman himself, it avoids simplistic answers and tries to look deeper. This isn't a propaganda piece, but a complex study of a family's grief, and how powerful organizations like the Army sometimes put their own image ahead of human honesty and decency. Tillman himself emerges as a highly complex man – someone who didn't go off to war looking for glory, and indeed, tried actively just to be treated like any other soldier – a desire the Army refused to honor, even in death (Tillman had specifically, in writing. requested not to have a military funeral should he die in war, but the Army tried to bulldoze the family into one for PR purposes). He believed the Afghanistan war was a righteous cause, but politically disagreed with the decision to go to war with Iraq, while fighting with honor and distinction. He was an atheist who respected and was curious about all religions, and whose public memorial was co-opted by public figures invoking the name of God, until finally his little brother – in an act of slightly drunken bravery - stood up to tell them all that wasn't who Pat was. His family emerge as heroes of another kind, working tirelessly to discover the truth of what really happened to their son and why,all the while fighting an Army and political establishment that just wanted them to stand there mute, and look sad and grateful for the cameras. Amir Bar-Lev is emerging as one of our best documentary filmmakers, and I'd urge you to also check out his earlier work "My Kid Could Paint That" and "Fighter".

Pat Tillman was an all-star college football player and an all-star pro football player. But the events of 9/11 had a deep personal impact on him, realizing that everyone needs to do their part in assuring freedom, he gave up $$Millions to enlist in the Army. He was killed, as it turned out, by "friendly fire", his own men as he climbed a ridge to see if he could spot enemies.That in itself is tragic, but what followed was an even greater tragedy. The true facts of the incident were covered up, most likely all the way to President Bush and V.P. Cheyney, and all the military commanders between Tillman and the office of POTUS.Instead of simply telling the truth, a story was fabricated that a Taliban ambush was responsible for Tillman's death. This story went to the memorial ceremony for Tillman. He was hailed as a hero for protecting his men. Only with a very persistent investigation by Tillman's mother, plus a scathing letter from Tillman's father to the government, got close to the truth.Why did the military and the Bush administration lie? Because the various Bush-promoted conflicts were unpopular, and they didn't need for it to get even more unpopular, so a story was fabricated ostensibly for political gain.With real footage of Tillman, and real footage of news reports and congressional hearings, it is an eye-opener as a glimpse into how the system can so easily cover up the truth.

In my humble opinion, I think the Tillmans are angry, and are taking out their anger on the government. I think mom is really angry at Pat himself for joining the army. For me - if my son died by friendly fire - I would rather have the govt lie to me and say he was a hero - rather than have to live with the fact that he died needlessly. (No question he is a hero, in my book). How many movies have we seen where the govt uses that "died heroically" line - Born on the Fourth of July, Courage under Fire, etc. Also, moms comment that someone just felt like shooting - Please! These are special forces - Army Rangers! In that circumstance, "just shooting" is only going to draw the attention of the enemy. She doesn't know what she's talking about. Also, I thought his brother was an idiot, saying he wasn't with God, he was just dead. Not appropriate at a funeral. I liked learning more about Pat Tillman. I have even more respect for him than I did before. OK, one more thing - I didn't see how the govt was trying to turn his death into a recruiting poster. The guy was a famous football player, his death was bound to be noticed by America.