The Armstrong Lie

The story of disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong follows along the lines of classic Greek tragedy: Hubris (the sin of pride and arrogance) to Ate (moral blindness or madness) to Nemesis (inevitable destruction). In 2008, Alex Gibney started filming a celebratory documentary about Armstrong's cycling comeback after a three-year retirement. The project was shelved when the cyclist's doping scandal erupted, and was re-opened after Armstrong's confession. Using Armstrong's TV interview with Oprah Winfrey to set the stage, Gibney recalls Armstrong's trials and tribulations—from his battle with testicular cancer in 1996 to his seven consecutive Tour de France victories (1999-2005). Widely acclaimed as one of the world's greatest athletes, Armstrong would have retained his glory had he not yearned to bask once again in the warmth of public adoration. But his former teammates knew that the duplicitous Armstrong had used EPO (a drug prescribed by his Italian doctor), testosterone, cortisone, human growth hormone, even blood transfusions to enhance his performance over the years. With many professional cyclists being busted for doping, resentful bikers were ready to testify against Armstrong. Gibney intercuts these revelatory interviews with clips of Armstrong vehemently denying drug use and viciously lashing out at critics and detractors. Although the narrative lacks the broader insight that Gibney brought to other films (such as We Steal Secrets, Taxi to the Dark Side and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room), this should be considered a strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Alex Gibney, deleted scenes (44 min.), and a Q&A with Gibney, producer Frank Marshall, Bicycling magazine editor-at-large Bill Strickland, former pro cyclist Jonathan Vaughters, and wife of former Armstrong teammate Betsy Andreu (40 min.), as well as trailers, and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for this sports doc, which isn't one of Gibney's best.] (S. Granger)