Review of The Armstrong Lie (2013) by Jason C — 16 Dec 2013

Watching Lance Armstrong lie through his teeth never fails to fascinate, especially when it's crystal clear he believes his own hype. Sociopathic? It's your call. Documentarian extraordinaire Alex Gibney, an Oscar winner for Taxi To The Dark Side, seems all too eager to lay it all out.

The results are chilling. Then again, Gibney is one of many who fell for the Armstrong story. He started this project in 2008, when the seven-time Tour de France winner and cancer survivor was preparing his return to competitive cycling after his retirement in 2005.

And then accusations of doping began plaguing the star, which evolved into a federal probe and damning testimony from friends and teammates. The mighty had fallen, and Gibney and the amazing director of photography Maryse Alberti were on hand to get that descent in all its lurid details, which includes a confessional interview from Armstrong himself in which he continues to place blame on anything and everything except himself.

The film's a tad too rambling and long at two hours plus, but it potency cannot be denied.